Science101
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I have been researching the meaning of the word "Science" and am wondering what your thoughts are.
In western culture how the word "science" is defined is very important to scientists. It is difficult to do but still seen as vital that there be only one definition, of one method, and that teachers properly describe the same thing. That's what I'm looking for, the best way to describe science there can be.
Western science began over 1000 years ago, when Muslims first developed the "scientific method" now used today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_science
The first description of the scientific method comes from Prophet Muhammad who did well considering how back then there were not many words useful to describe what is now called science. Followers are here told that to be wise they must look for signs in life and nature around them.
http://www.muslimaccess.com/quraan/arabic/002.asp
From what I could find in history, his followers seem to have taken that to heart and soon they were doing science the world had never seen before. This would explain why he was seen as so wise, in early times, having given them the science many still think the west invented.
This is how Wikipedia describes a western way of describing science. We here have Natural causes that we can see with our senses that are signs the wise use to discover how things work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalism
The Supernatural is the unexplained, unseen, undetectable with our machines, so will not work with the scientific method where you need data and experiments to demonstrate how something works.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernaturalism
If you could snap your fingers to make something supernatural present itself, then it is now in the Natural world, no longer Supernatural.
In the west there is only "Natural Science" with there being no "Supernatural Science" . Yet, in a previous topic how science is defined in Islam, there are two categories one being "religious science" and the other "rational science":
http://www.islamicboard.com/health-science/134268402-putting-god-back-into-science.html
It would seen that "rational science" would be based on the Natural. While the "religious science" the Supernatural. But that presents a problem because science only limits the search for a Creator to Natural explanations, does not deny one. And as demonstrated by the clay science topic, science can add detail to things where there were once no words to even describe.
http://www.islamicboard.com/health-science/134264504-more-abiogenesis-clay-science.html
Science here shows it is possible for a once very common clay to be used to start life. And from what science and history found, the Black-Stone it is a meteoric shock wave produced melting of mineral (as makes clay) with small cell-like membrane enclosed gas filled vesicles inside, it can float in water. The process that formed it, parallels how our cell membranes stay together, with the reaction in the Black-Stone having been frozen in time by it right after cooling to stone. Science is here, not taking anything away from religion, science makes it more fun, in this case for even westerners who know very little about Prophet Muhammed.
In science there is a mystery leading to mystery that makes religion more interesting. We are like back in time looking for signs like the ancients did. Only limitation is that science requires Natural explanations for things. But we can even write a new "Theory of Intelligent Design" you may have already seen that so far, scientists and educators are OK enough with when described exactly this way:
http://scientific-design-theory.blogspot.com/
The problem for the Christian based ID movement that the courts would not allow is they relied on supernatural explanations and their theory was more like one sentence not explaining how anything worked. Arguments against someone else's evolution science is not science of their own. Courts declared their ID to not be science, and they were right. But that does not mean such a theory can never be written. I wrote one that although simple, at least shows it is possible. That is why there is undoubtedly a religious science that has nothing at all to do with the supernatural. Not many know this, which I try to change.
Science has so profoundly impacted all cultures, it is important that we fully understand what science is. But even the west where you would think it has been all thought out in perfect detail, how to define "science" is still debated by experts. The perfect definition has never been found. Maybe we can find one?
What is Science? Do we even know yet? What do you think?
In western culture how the word "science" is defined is very important to scientists. It is difficult to do but still seen as vital that there be only one definition, of one method, and that teachers properly describe the same thing. That's what I'm looking for, the best way to describe science there can be.
Western science began over 1000 years ago, when Muslims first developed the "scientific method" now used today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_history_of_scientific_methodWikipedia said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_science
The first description of the scientific method comes from Prophet Muhammad who did well considering how back then there were not many words useful to describe what is now called science. Followers are here told that to be wise they must look for signs in life and nature around them.
http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa050600a.htm
http://www.muslimaccess.com/quraan/arabic/002.asp
From what I could find in history, his followers seem to have taken that to heart and soon they were doing science the world had never seen before. This would explain why he was seen as so wise, in early times, having given them the science many still think the west invented.
This is how Wikipedia describes a western way of describing science. We here have Natural causes that we can see with our senses that are signs the wise use to discover how things work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalism
The Supernatural is the unexplained, unseen, undetectable with our machines, so will not work with the scientific method where you need data and experiments to demonstrate how something works.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernaturalism
If you could snap your fingers to make something supernatural present itself, then it is now in the Natural world, no longer Supernatural.
In the west there is only "Natural Science" with there being no "Supernatural Science" . Yet, in a previous topic how science is defined in Islam, there are two categories one being "religious science" and the other "rational science":
http://www.islamicboard.com/health-science/134268402-putting-god-back-into-science.html
It would seen that "rational science" would be based on the Natural. While the "religious science" the Supernatural. But that presents a problem because science only limits the search for a Creator to Natural explanations, does not deny one. And as demonstrated by the clay science topic, science can add detail to things where there were once no words to even describe.
http://www.islamicboard.com/health-science/134264504-more-abiogenesis-clay-science.html
Science here shows it is possible for a once very common clay to be used to start life. And from what science and history found, the Black-Stone it is a meteoric shock wave produced melting of mineral (as makes clay) with small cell-like membrane enclosed gas filled vesicles inside, it can float in water. The process that formed it, parallels how our cell membranes stay together, with the reaction in the Black-Stone having been frozen in time by it right after cooling to stone. Science is here, not taking anything away from religion, science makes it more fun, in this case for even westerners who know very little about Prophet Muhammed.
In science there is a mystery leading to mystery that makes religion more interesting. We are like back in time looking for signs like the ancients did. Only limitation is that science requires Natural explanations for things. But we can even write a new "Theory of Intelligent Design" you may have already seen that so far, scientists and educators are OK enough with when described exactly this way:
http://scientific-design-theory.blogspot.com/
The problem for the Christian based ID movement that the courts would not allow is they relied on supernatural explanations and their theory was more like one sentence not explaining how anything worked. Arguments against someone else's evolution science is not science of their own. Courts declared their ID to not be science, and they were right. But that does not mean such a theory can never be written. I wrote one that although simple, at least shows it is possible. That is why there is undoubtedly a religious science that has nothing at all to do with the supernatural. Not many know this, which I try to change.
Science has so profoundly impacted all cultures, it is important that we fully understand what science is. But even the west where you would think it has been all thought out in perfect detail, how to define "science" is still debated by experts. The perfect definition has never been found. Maybe we can find one?
What is Science? Do we even know yet? What do you think?
