NATURE OF SCIENCE

Definition of Nature of Science: Science can be defined as study "mainly concerned with the phenomenon of physical universe any or all of natural sciences or biological sciences." Or Science as the "the field of study which attempts to describe and understand the nature of the universe in whole or part."

Science is the faculty to reason out the how and why of the things as they occur in the phenomenal world or the objective world...Basically science is the study of laws of nature and man has developed science by observing.Infact this subject has completely transformed our power over nature and the world outlook. Development of the modern technology is directly the outcome of the development of modern science. Without the scientific revolution the industrial revolution would not have been possible.

It has raised the human activity level by significant observations in the various fields of human existence. Whether it‘s the exploration of human health, industrial progress, agrarian developments and modern communication technologies, the benefits gained from this major subject are enormous. Infact it would not be wrong to say that we are living in the age of science and is a dominant factor in our day to day existence.

Characteristics of the nature of science

Science education has defined tenets (characteristics) of the nature of science that are understandable by students and important for all citizens to know. William McComas and Joanne Olson analysed recent science education curriculum documents worldwide and identified 14 statements about the nature of science that are common to most curricula:

• Science is an attempt to explain natural phenomena.
• People from all cultures contribute to science.
• Scientific knowledge, while durable, has a tentative character.
• Scientific knowledge relies heavily, but not entirely, on observation, experimental evidence, rational arguments and scepticism.
• There is no one way to do science – therefore, there is no universal step-by-step scientific method
• New knowledge must be reported clearly and openly.
• Scientists require accurate record-keeping, peer review and reproducibility.
• Observations are theory laden.
• Scientists are creative.
• Over the centuries, science builds in both an evolutionary and a revolutionary way.
• Science is part of social and cultural traditions.
• Science and technology impact each other.
• Scientific ideas are affected by the social and historical setting.
• Laws and theories serve different roles in science – therefore, students should note that theories do not become laws even with additional evidence.