Reading: What is Science?

Intro: What is Science?
And why should a Christian study it?

A little about myself   

-BS in Biology
-MS in Physician Assistant Studies
-Have worked has a PA in family medicine, Allergy and Asthma, and Ear, Nose & Throat specialties
-Have also taken time to raise my two daughters – who experiment with science all the time!

What is science?

Science is complex and multi-faceted, but the most important characteristics of science are straightforward:

-Science focuses exclusively on the natural world, and does not deal with supernatural explanations.

-Science is a way of learning about what is in the natural world, how the natural world works, and how the natural world got to be the way it is. It is not simply a collection of facts; rather it is a path to understanding.

-Scientists work in many different ways, but all science relies on testing ideas by figuring out what expectations are generated by an idea and making observations to find out whether those expectations hold true.

-Accepted scientific ideas are reliable because they have been subjected to rigorous testing, but as new evidence is acquired and new perspectives emerge these ideas can be revised.

-Science is a community endeavor. It relies on a system of checks and balances, which helps ensure that science moves in the direction of greater accuracy and understanding. This system is facilitated by diversity within the scientific community, which offers a broad range of perspectives on scientific ideas.

Science is…

-Science is both a body of knowledge and a process. In school, science may sometimes seem like a collection of isolated and static facts listed in a textbook, but that's only a small part of the story. Just as importantly, science is also a process of discovery that allows us to link isolated facts into coherent and comprehensive understandings of the natural world.

-Science is exciting. Science is a way of discovering what's in the universe and how those things work today, how they worked in the past, and how they are likely to work in the future. Scientists are motivated by the thrill of seeing or figuring out something that no one has before.

-Science is useful. The knowledge generated by science is powerful and reliable. It can be used to develop new technologies, treat diseases, and deal with many other sorts of problems.

-Science is ongoing. Science is continually refining and expanding our knowledge of the universe, and as it does, it leads to new questions for future investigation. Science will never be "finished."

Science cannot…

-Prove the existence of God
   -Cannot be tested
-Make value judgments – what is beautiful art
-Make moral judgments – right vs wrong
-Tell you how to use your scientific knowledge – for example, to help or harm