In the past, information was treasured... These days we live on the shore of an ocean of knowledge... with… — Helen Czerski

The basic principles alone often won't provide specific answers, but they'll provide the context needed to ask the right questions. And if we're used to working things out... we won't feel hopeless when the answer isn't obvious...

As far as we know, the physical laws we observe... on Earth apply everywhere... You can test them for yourself.

You don't have to be a qualified scientist to experiment with the world. Knowing some basic principles will set you on the right track... [I]t doesn't even have to be an organized process...