Science uses the scientific method to formulate and test hypotheses, with reproducibility and falsifiability being important factors. It is divided into natural, social, and formal sciences, with applied science being used to solve specific challenges. Bias is a problem in science, but safeguards such as reproducibility and standardization help combat it.
Science is a type of knowledge gathering and interpersonal collaboration based on a standard called the scientific method. The goal is to formulate theories that successfully predict various phenomena, from the speed of a ball rolling downhill to the way a star collapses as it runs out of fuel.
The scientific method is a basic cycle of forming and testing hypotheses. First, the scientist formulates a hypothesis about how something works. For example, that all objects fall at the same rate on Earth in a vacuum. The hypothesis is followed by verification. The scientist must use a vacuum chamber as an experimental apparatus, drop various objects inside the chamber and measure the duration of the fall as accurately as possible. Then the scientist compares the results with the original hypothesis, seeing whether they support or contradict it. But that’s not all: the scientist must publish his results, so that other scientists can try the same experiments and make sure that the results are reproducible.
Reproducibility is an important factor in good science, because sometimes people will design experiments in ways that artificially inflate the likelihood of their hypothesis being confirmed, or even produce data. Another desirable quality of a scientific hypothesis is falsifiability. If a hypothesis cannot be proven false, it is not scientific.
Science is divided into three broad categories: natural sciences, which studies natural phenomena such as biology, physics, chemistry, geology, etc.; social sciences, which study human beings and our societies such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc.; and formal science, which includes mathematics, statistics, and logic, and there is some controversy as to whether formal science should be considered science. All three divisions are extremely important and have contributed immeasurably to the knowledge and well-being of mankind over the last few centuries.
When science is used to solve specific tasks or challenges, such as using scientific knowledge about electric fields to design a circuit, it is called applied science. Natural and social sciences are called empirical sciences because they are based on experimentation, while formal sciences such as mathematics are non-empirical. Although some philosophers of science consider theorem proving an experiment, most consider mathematics non-empirical because it does not involve any real-world testing.
Important in science is the elimination of prejudices. Bias is introduced when a theorist would prefer a certain experimental result and consciously or unconsciously alters the experiment to ensure this, or when emotional reasoning takes precedence over logical reasoning. Science contains many safeguards in an attempt to combat bias, such as reproducibility and standardization. But the bias is still rife in science: Big companies give billions of dollars to scientists every year and expect them to produce results that reflect positively on the donor business or industry. Some politicians would prefer to ignore scientific findings if they are inconvenient to their set plans. None of this means that science is any less useful than hypothesis, superstition, or faith: only that there are better and worse standards for science, and that it takes effort to conduct good science.
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