Science

Science is the enterprise that deals with (i) the description, analysis and synthesis of parts of the observable universe and its transformations, following systematic methods, (ii) the registration and organization of accumulated knowledge acquired in formalisms [1] and testable methods, and (iii) the dissemination of this knowledge.

The term "science" derives from the Latin "scientia" which means "knowledge". The main traditional branches of science include astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and sociology. Some recent branches are chemoinformatics and nanoscience [2].

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The vast majority of known science has been done by human scientists, but the intriguing possibility of robotic scientists has emerged very recently thanks to advances in artificial intelligence [3]. No distinction of the human or non-human nature of the scientist will be made here [4].

Science deals with the observable universe, which means that philosophical and religious conceptions of the universe as a whole are beyond its grasp. Science not only describes the observable universe [5], but also changes it. As Marcelin Berthelot states, "La chimie crée son objet [chemistry creates its object]" [6]. Man has created thousands of molecules and materials that did not exist before.

REFERENCES AND NOTES

  1. A formalism is the collection of axioms, definitions, and theorems derived.
  2. Incorrectly named "nanotechnology".
  3. The Automation of Science 2009: Science 324(5923), 85–89. King, Ross D.; Rowland, Jem; Oliver, Stephen G.; Young, Michael; Aubrey, Wayne; Byrne, Emma; Liakata, Maria; Markham, Magdalena; Pir, Pinar; Soldatova, Larisa N.; Sparkes, Andrew; Whelan, Kenneth E.; Clare, Amanda.
  4. It is also possible to imagine intelligent aliens pursuing similar ventures on unknown planets.
  5. "What is Science?" 2022 October 05 (access): http://www.aps.org/policy/statements/99_6.cfm. Author not available.
  6. Some reflections on Chemistry – Molecular, Supramolecular and Beyond 2001: In Chemistry for the 21st Century; WILEY-VCH GmbH; Keinan, Ehud (Editor); Schechter, Israel (Editor). Lehn, Jean Marie.