Brian Mosby, age 13, of Chilliwack, B.C., Canada, for his question:
What exactly do we mean by science?
Some people think that we tend to over use the word science. This may be because we live in the Age of Science and science plays a more and more important role in al¬most every corner of our lives. In any case, it is a good idea to turn a penetrating eye on this important word to find out just what it means and does not mean.
A century ago, the word "space" meant an empty place. Nowadays many of us think of space as the place to take off on voyages to other worlds. As we gain knowledge and know how, the meaning of many old words grow with us. The word "science" originally meant knowledge or know how, and an 18th century poet referred to the "science" of ABCs. This still is the essential meaning of science, though in the 20th century the knowledge and know how of countless ages has blossomed suddenly into a new dimension. With this came a necessity to extend the meaning of the word "science," to give it pre¬cise modern meanings and subdivide it to cover the fast growing field.
Some people think that science is part of nature or perhaps the adamant laws of the universe. But this is not so. The factors that make science possible are rooted in the human mind. In all known creation, we are the only ones who have the wondrous gifts to think and reason, to solve problems with logic rather than by trial and error. Only the human mind can dream and formulate plans to make those dreams become reality. Only human nature has the type of intelligence to turn inward and evaluate itself in terms of the rest of creation. From these gifts of intelligence, reason and evaluation sprang science the skills to understand and control and hence to participate in the laws of nature and the cosmic infinity of creation.
Mankind was slow to grasp his own inborn talents, perhaps because such powers carried immense responsibilities to be used with justice and good sense. The scholars of ancient Greece used logical scientific thought but it became merely an exercise to feed and enhance the mind. For more than 1000 years, classical science did not progress beyond this limited type of mental exercise.
The true Age of Science began when scholars realized that knowledge and know how were tools to be used. In the 18th century, the logical probings into the nature and structure of the atom revealed its chemical properties. Experimenters learned how atoms behave in nature and then saw that they could be made to do other things. Man made molecules were assembled to create man made synthetic substances, better than those in nature. This was science at work. And human nature, being what it is, set about adding to these successes by perfecting mathematical skills and scientific schemes. Our Age of Science has just begun and already we expect it to solve all the hurts and hardships that mindless, non human nature has put upon us.
The knowledge and skills of science bring the power to change the world to suit ourselves. And power calls for decisions. We can, for example, use atomic energy to supply us with abundant power to perform our old chores or we can use it in weapons to wipe out the world. This challenge of science must be faced by our generation. Fortunately, human nature that gave birth to science also has the talent to control it. We have the built in gift to evaluate ourselves and make wise decisions in favor of good sense.