Sagredo is an intelligent layman who is initially neutral.

His experience had persuaded him that an intelligent layman could make religious subjects accessible, "letting people witness to their beliefs and explain them," without proselytizing, Mr. Hewitt said.

Nevertheless the Manarkan had put down-and Vesta had recorded in good, idiomatic Galactic Spanish-an intelligent layman's idea of what it was that had been left out.

They believed that there were enough intelligent laymen to support a periodical that discussed science in depth.

Bitter experience had shown him that it was almost impossible to make laymen, however intelligent and interested, appreciate this problem, and he anticipated even less success with these monks.

He had no more than the average intelligent layman's knowledge of nuclear physics-enough to recharge or repair a conversion-unit-but the drawings looked authentic enough.

Finally, the prevailing view is described in terms an intelligent layman can appreciate - popular science.

But I would argue we're intelligent laymen, and we're educating ourselves now.

Ending, with becoming grace: 'Although it is, of course, an academic text primarily, it should not be beyond the understanding of a moderately intelligent layman.'

A history is being written that is no longer accessible to the intelligent layman.