What is science? Science is a multifaceted field and can be thought of as a collection of knowledge that is applied and shaped by experience. The word science developed into a more collective sense in the late 14th century, and its meaning has remained constant over time. As a socially embedded activity, it is based on the search for knowledge, its systematic application, and the sharing of that knowledge. There are many debates about what constitutes science, but the definitions and nuances are largely the same.
For centuries, humankind has relied on the regularities of nature to survive. The Sun, for example, repeats its daily motion, and the Moon follows its annual motion in correlation to important terrestrial events. These patterns determine day and night, which are the basic rhythm of human existence. Seasons determine how animals migrate to different parts of the world, and humans have been dependent on those patterns for millennia.
In general, science is the study of natural regularities, which are subjected to a rigorous scientific method and can be explained by rational means. We know nature through our senses, with sight and touch being the dominant senses. Humans’ notion of reality is skewed toward the objects and patterns of those senses. But as our instruments become more sophisticated, we gain more information and access to a wider range of phenomena beyond what our eyes and ears can perceive.
