Our resident scientist explains what science is—and what it is not
So, this is a column about “Science,” but, what exactly is Science? Well, first of all, let’s talk about a few things Science isn’t:
It’s not a Religion. Religion is based on Faith: An unshakable belief in things unseen and possibly even unknowable. Many great Scientists have been very Religious, and many renowned Religious figures have contributed greatly to Science. Science, however, is based on facts and evidence; neither of which care a wit about what anyone believes. This, ultimately, makes the two almost impossible to reconcile.
It’s not a Philosophy. While the two might seem similar at first glance, Science and Philosophy are very different. Philosophy is, basically, a quest for Wisdom. Why are we here? What is it all about? What is the “Meaning of Life?” Science is more interested in the way Reality actually works, as opposed to what those workings mean.
Here again, many great Scientists have been Philosophers, and many Philosophers have contributed greatly to Science. But, a lot of Philosophical thought rests heavily on opinion, environment and personal experience. Here again, Science doesn’t care a bit about those things. It only cares about facts and evidence.
Think of it this way, if there are extraterrestrials, and they have Philosophers, the “Meaning of Life” for them is likely to be very different than it is for we humans. The mass of a Hydrogen atom, however, is going to be exactly the same for them as it is for us.
So then, what is Science?
Science is a process.
Yes. That’s all it is. A process…a method. In fact, this is why it’s called the “Scientific Method”. To be more precise, it’s a series of steps that you go through to work out how the world around us actually works. And, as it turns out, those steps are actually pretty simple.
Step 1: Ask a Question
Why is the sky blue? Is the Earth flat or round? What is the Sun made of?
In Science, all questions are equally valid, and you never know where the answers may lead you. If you are lucky, they lead to more questions! For the purposes of this article, we’ll ask a question that’s very relevant to my life as I sit here writing this: Why do dogs bark?
Step 2: Formulate a Hypothesis
Once you have your question, it’s time to take a guess as to what the answer is.
In this case, I can pretty well guess why my dogs are barking. It’s because I absent-mindedly drum the desk with my fingers when I’m thinking, and they think that ISIS is coming to kill us all.
Of course, this is just a guess. But, it’s an educated guess, based on the experiences I’ve had with dogs over the course of my life. An educated guess, based on evidence, is called a hypothesis.
Step 3: Experiment!
So, with my hypothesis in hand. It’s time to run an experiment. In this case, I’m going to deliberately tap on the desk, and see what happens. So, 3, 2, 1…and…nothing.
Dang it. I really thought I was on to something there.
Step 4: Evaluate Results
Once you’ve run your experiment, it’s time to look at the results. In this case, the dogs didn’t bark at all. (Even after doing so multiple times earlier in the evening.) So, I have two choices at this point:
Admit that my hypothesis was awful and abandon that line of experimentation.
Adjust my experiment and try again. (That is, go back to step 2.)
In this case, I think I’ll try again. I’ve noticed that the biggest dog, Bea, had left the room when I ran my experiment. Previously, she was in the room and asleep. What if my knocking had startled her, and her barking got the other dogs to bark as well?
So, we call her back in, and wait for her to go to sleep. And then…knock, knock!
Success! The dogs are barking and my wife is furious!
Step 5: Tell the World!
Once you have your results, you owe it to the world to share them. That way, others can take what you’ve done and build on it (and avoid your mistakes).
That’s pretty much all there is to Science. These five simple steps have taken Humanity from the heart of the atom to the edge of the observable Universe.
And, it’s also landed me on the couch for the night. Science!
Steven W. Disbrow is a programmer who specializes in e-commerce and mobile systems development, an entrepreneur, comic-book nerd, writer, improviser, actor, sometime television personality and parent of two human children.