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Health & Fitness

The Mystery of Science (Not Really)

Science: Some love it, some hate it, many ignore it. What is science and how is it accomplished?

I have always had an affinity for science, although I never pursued it professionally. So let me be clear up front, I am not a scientist! However, one does not have to be a scientist in order to appreciate science and scientific endeavor. The purpose of this blog is to take the "mystery" out of science.

Science itself is a simple concept. From Wikipedia: "Science (from Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge") is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. In an older and closely related meaning, "science" also refers to a body of knowledge itself, of the type that can be rationally explained and reliably applied. A practitioner of science is known as a scientist."

Simply put, science is a means of knowing stuff, and provides a way to double check the things we think we know. Contained in the Wiki definition above is the rudiments of what is known as the Scientific Method. Here is a simple explanation of said method:

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  • The steps of the scientific method are to:
    • Ask a Question
    • Do Background Research (observation)
    • Construct a Hypothesis (A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work.)
    • Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
    • Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
    • Communicate Your Results

And that's it. I know this all seems very simple, but the concepts that underpin science are indeed very simple. Obviously as knowledge advances, the act of doing science becomes more involved, difficult, and complicated. However, the concept behind the enterprise is not complicated at all.

As a non-scientist I welcome commentary and correction from those who actually participate in the field (are you out there Byron?), or anyone else that may have something to add or say on the subject. In future posts I hope to discuss the limits of science, how science and the Christian faith intersect, and some particular scientific enterprises that seem to go against the teachings of the Bible (some of which we have previously discussed in prior articles).

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Thank you for taking the time to read my article and God bless you.


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