Science

Science:
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Introduction
Science refers to the systematic study that organizes and builds knowledge in the form of predictions and explanations that are empirical about nature and the universe. In a closely and orderly related explanation, science can be defined as a body of knowledge of the kind, which can be logically explained and applied reliably. Since classical antiquity, science has been closely associated with philosophy. During the modern times, the terms science and philosophy are at times applied interchangeably. This is because, by the 17th century, natural philosophy presently known as natural science was seen as a distinct or separate branch of philosophy. Science, however, continued to be used in a wide sense meaning reliable knowledge on a subject. This is just in the same manner as it is applied in modern terms including political science and library science (Agar, 2012).
Background
Science advanced from philosophy. After the subject was recognized, the subject’s interdisciplinary boundaries advanced, and even the most successful investigations on philosophy have been linked to science. The key modern innovators include Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, and Bacon among them. These characters contributed significantly to the science during their times. The essential epistemological challenge of Kant was influenced by the achievement of science. Certain ideas and knowledge are obtained both in Mathematics and fundamentally because of Newton. A significant majority of thinkers and scholars who are fundamentally considered as great scientists had insightful and exciting views and ideas on the purposes of science, as well as, methods of attaining scientific knowledge. This being the case, therefore, one may wonder why Galileo and Newton’s epistemological views, for example, are not taught with those of Locke and Bacon in such subjects as the history of modern philosophy. Probably, it can be argued that Galileo and Newton had as much insight into methods and aims of science, as well as, how scientific ideas and knowledge are acquired and accredited as Bacon and Locke (Baker, 2012).
During the 19th Century, Hertz, Maxwell, and Helmholz had exciting ideas on the foundations and explanations of science. On the other hand, Poincare, one of the greatest mathematical physicists and mathematicians was among the greatest philosophical thinkers or philosophers of science. These were involved in the development of influential and essential ideas about the nature of hypotheses and theories, explanation, and the role of probability paradigm within science and scientific reasoning. The era between the 1920s and1950s is at times viewed as entailing a shift in the direction of more formal matters to the elimination of detailed focus on the process of science itself (Dutt, 2012). Whereas the issue of logical positivism has been over-exaggerated, there is no uncertainty that overall attention in philosophy of science has been moved back to the direction of details of science and especially its historical development by post-positivism that is advanced by scholars such as Hanson, Kuhn, Lakatos, and Feyerabend among others.
The current philosophy of science has advanced the great tradition that addresses numerous modern philosophical matters about knowledge, determinism, indeterminism, and the nature of knowledge. However, this has been done through putting a lot of focus on science as both a source of ideas and knowledge about the universe and as an exemplar of knowledge. This simply implies that there us unavoidably much overlap with other philosophical areas, which is notably epistemology, the theory of empirical knowledge that is a central focus of philosophy of science. There is also concern on metaphysics that is approached as the study of what present scientific practices and theories tend to explain on the structure of the universe. In fact, an appropriate was of usefully splitting up the subject would see scientific metaphysics and scientific epistemology. These are the two major branches of the subject of science that form the general philosophy of science (Dutt, 2012). The third branch consists of more detailed although specific studies into foundational matters concerned with certain fields of science or certain scientific theories. In addition, it is not surprising that essential scientific contributions have been made in the third interdisciplinary subject by scientists who have reflected challengingly and carefully on their work, as well as, the foundations of science.
The Purpose of Science
A fundamental purpose of the science subject is to gather data or facts. In addition, an ultimate aim of science is to determine the order, which exists between and amongst these various facts obtained on the subject. Based on its definition, the study involves the acquisition of knowledge and ideas about the universe. Therefore, in understanding the concept of science, individuals acquire knowledge on various essential facts about the world. With this definition, it is clearly evident that the fundamental aim of science is to explain and predict phenomena. Science is applied in producing useful models of reality through the process of exploring nature. It is the systematic study of natural conditions and events to discover facts and devise principles and laws based on these facts (Buchwald, 2011).
Methods of science
Science necessitates application of techniques and methods in order for one to achieve the goals desired. This is what is referred to as the scientific method that involves systematic steps that need to be followed for positive results. This scientific method is the foundation of all thorough scientific inquiry. A set of principles and techniques devised to further the accumulation of knowledge and advance scientific inquiry has been steadily advanced by people especially Greece philosophers and the scientists of the present world. Whereas there exist differences on the techniques and variations over how the method should be applied, the fundamental steps involved are easy to comprehend and are invaluable to empirical research and in solving the daily challenges (Agar, 2012). There is an image to illustrate this at the Appendix Section.
Observation is the first step and involves curiosity that brings new ideas and knowledge. It is simple and involves looking at something not readily explainable with one’s existing knowledge. It may also involve observing a phenomenon that is explained by existing ideas but which may have other explanations. The main question here is how to explain a phenomenon by asking what causes this to occur. The next step is carrying out research on the topic in question. This involves investigating into what has previously been done by other researchers through journals, books, and the Internet in order to gather reliable knowledge on the phenomena under investigation. Looking for such information is essential in the formulation of hypothesis. The third step involves the formulation of hypothesis, which refers to a probable explanation for the phenomenon under observation. The hypothesis statement does not involve guesses as it is based on a thorough assessment of existing knowledge of the question. The hypothesis statement should have a cause-effect relationship (Buchwald, 2011)
The next step involves testing of hypothesis developed. This should entail designing of experiments geared towards confirming or failing to confirm the hypothesis. This experiment should be devised to try to distinguish the phenomenon from the cause proposed in the study. Keeping records that are faultless is essential and experiments should be reproducible. This implies that other individuals should be capable of setting up a test and get a similar result. It is crucial, therefore, to keep faultless records of the test. During the modern era, archives are established to store scientific data on research that has been undertaken. The next step is the data analysis and drawing of conclusions through scientific methods and interpretation. One should choose a qualitative or quantitative method of data analysis depending on the nature of the study. After this is done, there is the reporting of findings. Scientists report results in scientific journals or even at conferences in papers. They report on methods applied and any challenges arising from the study (Ede, 2012). Conducting further research arises as another step, but only if data fails to confirm the hypothesis.
Effects of science and Conclusion
Science has impacted significantly on a number of issues, most of which are beneficial to humanity with only a few causing danger to human life. Through science and technology, there has been improved efficiency and effectiveness that are all geared towards improving the quality of lives of individuals. This has been through national economic development that contributes to the general welfare of individuals. One negative aspect of science is that some of the explorations have threatened nature and human life, but efforts are being undertaken to deal with such challenges (Turchetti et al., 2012).

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References
Agar, J. (2012). Science in the twentieth century and beyond. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
Baker, J. (2012). Perceptions of Science and American Secularism. Sociological Perspectives, 55(1), 167-188.
Buchwald, J. Z. (2011). A master of science history: Essays in honor of Charles Coulston Gillispie. Dordrecht: Springer.
Dutt, G. (2012). A Climate Agreement beyond 2012. Economic and Political Weekly, 44(45), 39-49.
Ede, A., & Cormack, L. B. (2012). A history of science in society: From philosophy to utility. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Turchetti, S., Herran, N., & Boudia, S. (2012). Introduction: have we ever been ‘transnational’? Towards a history of science across and beyond borders. The British Journal for the History of Science, 45(3), 319-336.