Science[nb 1] is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the
form of testableexplanations and predictions about the universe.[nb 2] In an older
and closely related meaning, "science" also refers to this body of knowledge
itself, of the type that can be rationally explained and reliably applied. Ever
since classical antiquity, science as a type of knowledge has been closely linked
to philosophy. In the Westduring the early modern period the words "science"
and "philosophy of nature" were sometimes used interchangeably,[2]:p.3 and until
the 19th century natural philosophy (which is today called "natural science") was
considered a branch of philosophy.[3]
In modern usage "science" most often refers to a way of pursuing knowledge, not
only the knowledge itself. In the 17th and 18th centuries scientists increasingly
sought to formulate knowledge in terms of laws of nature. Over the course of the
19th century, the word "science" became increasingly associated with
the scientific methoditself, as a disciplined way to study the natural world,
including physics, chemistry, geology and biology. It is in the 19th century also
that the term scientist began to be applied to those who sought knowledge and
understanding of nature.[4]
Modern science is typically subdivided into the natural sciences which study the
material world, the social sciences which study people and societies, and
the formal sciences like mathematics. The formal sciences are often excluded as
they do not depend on empirical observations.[5] Disciplines which use science
like engineering and medicine may also be considered to be applied sciences.[6]
Contents
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1 History
o
1.1 Pre-philosophical
1.2 Philosophical study of nature
1.3 Philosophical turn to human things
1.4 Medieval science
1.5 Renaissance, and early modern science
1.6 Age of Enlightenment
1.7 19th century
1.8 20th century and beyond
2 Philosophy of science
o
2.1 Certainty and science
2.2 Fringe science, pseudoscience and junk science
3 Scientific practice
o
3.1 The scientific method
3.2 Mathematics and formal sciences
3.3 Basic and applied research
3.4 Research in practice
3.5 Practical impacts of scientific research
4 Scientific community
o
4.1 Branches and fields
4.2 Institutions
4.3 Literature
5 Science and society
o
5.1 Women in science
5.2 Science policy
5.3 Media perspectives
5.4 Political usage
5.5 Science and the public
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links