Table of Contents

S.No.
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2.
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Topic

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Introduction 3
Definition and meaning of Science4
Characteristics of Science.. 5-7
Advantages and Disadvantages of Science8-9
Karl Popper of Science10
Sociology of Science by Robert K. Merton11
Conclusion12
Bibliography.13

Introduction
The Science has been taken from the Latin term scientia, which means knowledge. If we
elaborate the term science, it means any knowledge which is in systematic order and through
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which we get a correct and reliable outcome. We get a correct and reliable outcome through
the process of observation, experimentation and verification. With this project work I try to
explain what science is actually, its definition and meaning, its characteristics, ideology of
science, advantages and disadvantages of science, how Popper and Merton looked into the
relationship between science and sociology, discussing sociology as a science.

Definition and meaning of Science

How do we define science? According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, the definition
of science is "knowledge attained through study or practice," or "knowledge covering general
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truths of the operation of general laws, esp. as obtained and tested through scientific method
[and] concerned with the physical world."
What does that really mean? Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge. This system
uses observation and experimentation to describe and explain natural phenomena. The term
science also refers to the organized body of knowledge people have gained using that system.
Less formally, the word science often describes any systematic field of study or the
knowledge gained from it.
What is the purpose of science? Perhaps the most general description is that the purpose of
science is to produce useful models of reality.
Most scientific investigations use some form of the scientific method. You can find out more
about the scientific method here.
Science as defined above is sometimes called pure science to differentiate it from applied
science, which is the application of research to human needs. Fields of science are commonly
classified along two major lines:
- Natural sciences, the study of the natural world, and
- Social sciences, the systematic study of human behavior and society.

Characteristics of Science

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Science is a study dealing with facts, which are perceptible. Science cannot and should not
address the realms of the mythical, the imaginary, the metaphysical, or the spiritual. For too
long people accepted the musings of authority figures as truth. Often the more bizarre the
speculation, the more eager people were (and, unfortunately, many still are) to believe it. The
sole aim of science is to classify, understand, and unify the objects and phenomena of the
material world. By using a combination of accurate observation and experimentation, logic
and intuition, and the occasional fortunate happenstance of serendipity, scientists seek to
understand the rules that govern all levels of the natural universe.
Fulfilling these aims of science we can now understand the characteristics of science
which are as follows:
1. MATERIALISM: Scientific explanations must be grounded in material causes and
cannot not violate natural law. Magic, myth, and mysticism have no place in science
and only hinder the search for truths and obscure such truths as we might discover.
2. EXPERIMENTATION :
It is the foremost step taken while assessing a thing .It is the process by which we put
some elements in certain definite condition controlled manually and then look the way
it reacts to that condition. For example, we conduct a pH experiment (a very
fundamental test) to know that if the samples taken for the test are Acidic or Basic
in nature.
3. HYPOTHESIS :
This word basically means "a possible solution to a problem, based on knowledge
and research." The hypothesis is a simple statement that defines what you think
the outcome of your experiment will be.

4. OBSERVATION :
By observing the changes taken place we gradually move towards the sole aim of our
experiment exercise. For example, we observe that milks pH count is 7 by which we
could infer that milk is basic in nature.
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5. RATIONALITY :
In science, having the characteristic of rationality means the finding out of result is
not on the basis instincts or inner voice but on the basis of a valid REASON behind
that which has been acquired by the process of experimentation.

6. ANALYSIS:
By analysis we mean that after observing the reaction of an element in certain
controlled condition and then comes the ANALYSIS part of actually analysing
the positive and negative developments thus taken place.

7. REPEATABILITY :
Results obtained through experimental testing must, for the most part, hold true
time and again. If an experiment yields significantly different results each time it
is conducted, none of the data sets collected from the experiment can be regarded
as having any probability of being the truth. Regardless of who conducts the
experiment or how many times it is repeated, the results must be substantially the
same time and again. Results that cannot be repeated must not be accorded any
reliability.

8. SELF-CORRECTING:
Scientific theory makes a statement and draws some conclusion about the material
world. If later observations or experiments contradict this conclusion, the theory
must be revised or rejected. Ideally this should make science self-correcting thus
validating the accuracy of any knowledge (truth) gained. However, such is not
always the reality of the scientific endeavour as science historians, philosophers,
and working scientists will attest.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Science

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We used to think that science has been a tremendous help to us, but for every benefit that we
obtain, we are presented with new problems. So, should the knowledge of science be
developed?
By discovering the secret of science, scientists are able to create something which can
improve the quality of our lives immeasurably; for example, computers, telephones,
televisions, airplanes and the list goes on. With the discovery of these inventions, men can

fulfill their aspirations much more easily. Take for instance space exploration. Space
exploration is unheard of in our forefathers time. But in todays world everything is possible.

Science is mans only hope against diseases. Without the inventions of science and the unending
efforts of scientists, many sickness and diseases like malaria, diabetes, hepatitis and many others
which were considered as incurable sicknesses and diseases in the past would never be conquered.
Countless drugs and medications have been made to tackle those sicknesses and diseases. In other
words, mans chances of survival are certainly much better today because of the development of
science.

As we know, science has been a great help to a country. It can turn a small, poor country to a
progressive one; for instance Japan. Famines throughout the world can only be overcome
because with science, the quality and quantity of agricultural production can be expected to
improve. Therefore, problems like shortages of food should hardly occur, if not all all.
Have you ever spared a thought on why the knowledge of science is being taught in school
since we were young? The reason is simple. The government hopes to produce a wiser and
more capable generation that utilizes science for the development and progress of the country.
On the other hand, scientists are not concerned whether a question is right or wrong. They are
only interested in results. Consequently, many problems have surfaced pollution, for
example. Huge amounts of carbon monoxide are being emitted by vehicles daily, chemical
surplus are dumped into the sea, gases released by factories and so on and so forth. As a
result, not only marine life would perish but the health of the human race will be affected too.
Moreover, due to the development of science, nuclear weapons have been developed and
used in warfare. As a result, millions of lives were lost unnecessarily, for instance the war in
Iraq. In this scenario, it is evident that science can cause destruction not only to buildings but
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also to the lives of the people. War survivors will always have the image of fallen buildings
and dead people etched in their minds as they struggle to rebuild their lives.
Based on the points given above, it is clear that science can bring benefits as well as problems
to us. So, we people especially the scientists must handle scientific inventions with utmost
care, otherwise the whole world will suffer!

Karl Popper of Science

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In his work The Logic of Scientific Discovery Popper argued that science should adopt a
methodology based on falsification, because no number of experiments can ever prove a
theory, but a single experiment can contradict one. Popper holds that empirical theories are
characterized by falsifiability.
Falsifiability is the logical possibility that an assertion can be shown false by an observation
or a physical experiment. That something is "falsifiable" does not mean it is false; rather,
that if it is false, then this can be shown by observation or experiment. Falsifiability is an
important concept in science and the philosophy of science. Popper asserted that
a hypothesis, proposition, or theory is scientific only if it is falsifiable.
He stressed that unfalsifiable statements are still very important for science and are often
contained in scientific theories as unfalsifiable consequences. For example, while "all men
are mortal" is unfalsifiable, it is still contained as a consequence of the falsifiable theory that
"every man dies before he reaches the age of 150 years".
He recognised that scientific theories are the result of a creative imagination and that the
growth of scientific knowledge rests on the doctrine of falsifiability: that only those theories
that are testable and falsifiable by observation and experiment are properly open to scientific
evaluation.

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Sociology of Science by Robert K. Merton

Merton carried out extensive research into the sociology of science, developing the Merton
Thesis explaining some of the causes of the scientific revolution, and the Mertonian norms of
science, often referred to by the acronym "Cudos". This is a set of ideals that are dictated by
what Merton takes to be the goals and methods of science and are binding on scientists. They
include:
Communalism - the common ownership of scientific discoveries, according to which
scientists give up intellectual property rights in exchange for recognition and esteem
(Merton actually used the term Communism, but had this notion of communalism in
mind, not Marxism);
Universalism - according to which claims to truth are evaluated in terms of universal
or impersonal criteria, and not on the basis of race, class, gender, religion, or
nationality;
Disinterestedness - according to which scientists are rewarded for acting in ways that
outwardly appear to be selfless;
Organized Skepticism - all ideas must be tested and are subject to rigorous,
structured community scrutiny.

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Conclusion
Sociology as a discipline is part of the scientific examination and understanding of human
behaviour and society. In this sense, and as a science, it attempts to discover the causes and
effects that arise in social relations among persons and in the intercommunication and
interaction among persons and groups. As a scientific enterprise sociology also includes
within its parameters the study of the customs, structures, and institutions that emerge from
interaction, of the forces that hold together and weaken them, and of the effects that
participation in groups and organizations have on the behaviour and character of persons."
Sociology therefore subscribes to the accepted scientific method of the other natural sciences.
However there is much debate and contention about the nature of the scientific method and
whether it is entirely applicable to sociological discourse.

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Bibliography
Karl Popper,The Logic of Scientific Discovery, Taylor & Francis
Group,London,2002.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_K._Merton#Sociology_of_science
www. Britannica.com
http://scienceray.com/biology/ecology/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-ofscience/

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