The term “science” applies to a remarkably broad set of human endeavors, from developing lasers, to analyzing the factors that affect human decision-making. To get a grasp on what science is, we’ll look at a checklist that summarizes key characteristics of science and compare it to a prototypical case of science in action. This checklist provides a guide for what sorts of activities are encompassed by science, but since the boundaries of science are not clearly defined, the list should not be interpreted as all-or-nothing.
1. Focus on natural world.
Science studies the natural world. This includes the components of the physical universe around us like atoms, plants, ecosystems, people, societies and galaxies, as well as the natural forces at work on those things.
In contrast, science cannot study supernatural forces and explanations.
A SCIENCE PROTOTYPE: RUTHERFORD AND THE ATOM
In the early 1900s, Ernest Rutherford studied (among other things) the organization of the atom — the fundamental particle of the natural world. Though atoms cannot be seen with the naked eye, they can be studied with the tools of science since they are part of the natural world.
– from berkeley
“Literature is an avenue to glory, ever open for those ingenious men who are deprived of honours or of wealth.”