Science

Science is a part of each and every person and in the daily lives of billions, we may not know it but it is all around us; all the things we wear, eat and travel around in are a product of scientific breakthroughs and technological advances, we would find it difficult to cope without the appliances and electronics that now are very much a part of us.

The actual word science is derived from the Latin word "scientia" which basically means knowledge. But we ask ourselves what is science and why is it so important in our lives and for our futures.

Science is the acquisition of knowledge through study using experimentation or empirical methodological research to explain and describe natural phenomena. In easier to understand terminology it is a system that gives us proof obtained by testable means of the natural phenomena that happens around us.

The adherence to the scientific method must be observed for evaluating empirical knowledge; this is the condition maintained by the practitioners of science, which we call the scientists. This means that observation and experimentation is used to explain and describe a natural phenomenon under controlled test conditions, the result being a factual based proof or disproof of that event.

Science is commonly classified into two major categories the first being natural science the second social science. Natural science is the study of the natural world and natural phenomena while social science is the systematic study of human behavior and society itself.

By using the scientific method we can draw conclusions to the questions asked about the world around us. It is a logical and rational number of steps that are conducted under strict conditions so we can come to a confident and provable answer to the problem being addressed. These steps are the scientific method and are used at all times to produce conclusions; they are observation, hypothesis, prediction, experimentation and the conclusion.

Unlike some other branches of the science world like mathematics whose conclusions are incontestable (assuming calculations are not in error) a proven scientific theory can be and quite often are challenged and re-evaluated if and when new evidence is presented.

Even the basic and fundamental theories we now take as fact may turn out to be an incorrect conclusion when new data is presented, evaluated and proven to be the new truth. This can and does happen in some of the scientific fields especially in the theoretical arena of physics. With new scientific discoveries comes new understanding of the universe that we are all apart, but this so called new comprehension is constantly being challenged and disproved. What we take as a fact today may not be the fact of tomorrow; this is the nature of science and the human interpretation of the conclusive evidence.

New fields of science such as quantum physics and mechanics seem to challenge and defy our basic understanding of the world and universe. But even taking into account all that we think we know there is an absolutely massive amount that we do not and have not yet even had a glimpse at.

Most people think that it is the goal of science to answer all questions about all things but this is not so, its purpose is to find answers that are attached to our perceived reality and that are a testable certainty. We can never have all the answers because we can never know all the questions, but that statement may cross over the line into the realms of philosophy.

Science in one form or another has help guide humans through their evolution from the first flickers of fire to genetic coding.  The scientific community have helped to feed people, clothe and house them, cure degenerative and genetic diseases and save millions of lives, but we cannot forget that science has been responsible for the death of millions through technologies for war.

Although most people do not see the effect science has on their daily lives, almost every aspect carries the fingerprints of science from their daily commute to the technology they use to work, play and relax with. Science drives our lives it opens new paths each day, it allows us to live longer and better lives and it shows us a glimpse of the future of mankind.