Zach-+What+is+this+Science-+Final

As the scientist work in their labs with their white lab coats mixing chemicals and creating explosions, the only thing that people outside of that lab really know is that they are doing something with “science.” Rarely is it asked what actually //is// science. Frequently the phrase is thrown around as a mysterious word that can be associated with these labs and scientists. However, it is not just a word. There is much more to it. Science starts with the acquiring of facts, and then interoperating these facts to use in the future. It is always advancing and going further as more is learned and discovered. One science will lead to the next science.

Answering the question “what is //this// science?” is even more complicated then determining what exactly science is. Science in general is anything that is determined using logical reasoning. It is also researching new things and gaining a better understanding of what is already known. Clearly science is an incredibly broad term and can be used to describe many different things. “This” science is just the science that is going on right now. It is the things that are presently being determined logically and the things that are currently being researched. This differs from previous sciences because current science builds on previous science. That is all science is. It is refining and learning from previous sciences. Very rarely can something be perfected or can everything be learned about a particular topic. Therefore, the cycle of science improving upon previous sciences is never ending. Advancements will always be made as long as there are people interested in learning more and expanding the scope of knowledge of mankind.

Science has a wide variety of social purposes. One of these is the betterment of technology. Not everyone considers technological advances to be scientific, but they most certainly are. In order to improve upon technology, careful research has to be done. More has to be discovered about the current level of technology and how to use it before it can be improved. Science’s improvements on technology help to better the lifestyle of people. The standard of living is improved as well as the means of entertainment. There is no sense in not improving something that can be. Televisions for example were perfectly fine the way that they were ten years ago. However, they had room for advancement and the work of science has made them better. They are sharper, clearer, larger, yet thinner and lighter at the same time.

The scientific advancement of technology isn’t just about fun and entertainment. Advancing technologies has led to better cars. While this seems like an improvement for entertainment, the technology behind the fuel efficiency of cars is being improved upon rapidly. This decreases the amount of energy needed to fuel cars and is overall much better for the environment. The cars themselves are also being mad much safer as a result of bettering technologies and thus advancements in science. This leads to countless lives being saved.

Scientific progress also leads to innovation in healthcare and health services. Technological advances have lead to better medicine that has cured diseases that previously wiped out thousands of people. Children born today don’t even know what polio is, while only a few decades ago it was a huge problem. Also, laparoscopic procedures have revolutionized the effectiveness of surgeries, and the ability to do certain surgeries. A very in depth procedure can now be performed on somebody with only two or three very small incisions. These incisions are safer, easier and greatly quicken recovery. Science leads to bettering the health of the world and to extending the lifespan of the average person.

Science does not have to be carried out in a specific institution. It is most commonly associated with either a laboratory or a school, but as anybody can “do” science, it can be carried out anywhere. When people make observations about the weather and use that to predict what will happen next, they are using science. People also use science in their everyday life when they use electricity and cars. These things are only possible because of science. Much of the stereotypical science with scientists is indeed carried out in labs. Advanced research is often carried out in schools. This does not mean that people can’t experiment and research in their house or anywhere else. No matter what, it is all still science. The location doesn’t affect what is being done.

Sometimes science reaches the headlines of the media because of the controversy surrounding it. In very recent news, stem cell research has angered many, while others find it to be something that should without question be studied further. Stem cell research has countless obvious advantages in bettering the understanding of the human body yet it can be viewed as cloning. Many people find cloning morally wrong and therefore are against stem cell research. In this case, it can be said that the science comes down to morals just how far it goes.

Another very controversial topic involving science was the creation of the atomic bomb. The scientists involved in making the bomb had to overcome many moral questions about what they were doing. Their scientific work was leading towards the death of thousands of people, yet they still had a job to do. The scientist were able to overcome their questions of morals on this project, but were not as easily swayed when asked to create an even more powerful hydrogen bomb. The idea of the hydrogen bomb advanced the science behind it to “this” science. Sometimes, “this” science can be viewed as a much worse thing than the previous sciences. It’s advancement can go too far.

Oppenheimer, the director of the Manhattan Project was one of the most influential people in the making of the bomb. Even he stated that the physical sciences had become too dangerous to even speak of. Normally most everyone would agree after the atomic bomb that there was absolutely no need for a more powerful weapon. However, this goes to show that science can be affected by historical events of the time. After the United States dropped the atomic weapons on Japan, it was very highly suspected that other countries were trying to build the same or more powerful bombs of their own. This contributed to the government America to desire an extremely powerful hydrogen bomb. Had the suspicions of other countries research not arisen, nobody would ever try to create the more powerful bomb, and “this” science would not have existed. Instead, the world is housing devices capable causing unthinkable amounts of damage.

Historical events surrounding the science of the time have a very large impact on that science. For example, the earlier example of science improving the efficiency of cars is affected by the modern day care about global warming. If there was not so much hype about global warming, then car companies would not be as concerned with making their cars so fuel efficient. This is one example of the events effecting science in a positive aspect however it many times hinders it’s progress or causes it to go to far as was the case involving the atomic bomb. When science first started to reveal that the Earth actually revolved around the Sun instead of the other way around, the power of the Church and it’s influence in the government caused a delay in the new theories acceptance. People who openly disagreed with the old notion that the Earth was at the center were punished. In this regard, science would have been much better off without the influence of the events, or the way of life, of the time. There is no way to escape this affect on science though.

Science is everywhere. Asking “what is this science?” is like asking “what is this?” Everything uses science. It is impossible to escape it’s scope. Things that seem completely unrelated use science as well. Music and art both rely on science heavily. Music uses science when studying how the actual sounds work and in capturing that sound to play back later. The reason why certain instruments make certain noises is now known because of science. Methods to play back that music are improving as well. Art uses science as well as the combination of art with science go together in perfect harmony.

The answer to “what is this science” doesn’t have a specific answer. Science is everything. “This” science is whatever is going on at this current time. Everybody uses science. While it is just a word, it stands for everything in the world. The word doesn’t do much, but the meaning behind it is imperative to life. Life couldn’t exist without science. The cavemen and simple species made decisions using science weather they knew it or not. This really proves that science is everything and is the best answer for “what is this science?”