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The word science comes from the Latin "Scientia," meaning knowledge. Science today has a wide variety of application and its definition is not restricted to a few lines or pages. Today science has reached such heights that it is not even possible to discuss its every branch. Even if we start naming those, this article would be too short for that. Science has many definitions. We can say that science is the knowledge attained through study or practice, or knowledge covering general truths of the operation of general laws, obtained and tested through scientific method.
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge and facts in the form of some testable explanations and predictions about the universe which can be physically proved. In an older and closely related meaning, science refers to the body of reliable knowledge itself, of the type that can be logically and rationally explained.
Technological advancement began from the time of early man, though the technology developed at that time was not so advanced as compared to today, still, it was the beginning of technological advancements. Science in a broad sense existed before the modern era, and in many historical civilizations, but modern science is so distinct in its approach and successful in its results that it now defines what science is in the exact term. Much earlier than the modern era, another important turning point was the development of the classical natural philosophy in the ancient Greek-speaking world. Many inventions at by early man let the beginning of scientific advancements that started with the discovery of the wheel and has today reached a phase where it is not difficult to reach even stars. Various periods of scientific development can be defined as:
Science in its original sense is a word for a type of knowledge rather than a specialized word for the pursuit of such knowledge. Knowledge about the working of natural things was gathered long before recorded history and this has led to the development of some complex thinking about some facts and phenomenon’s, as shown by the construction of complex calendars, techniques for making fire, techniques of transportation and buildings such as the pyramids which led to the development of science in pre-philosophical period. However, no consistent distinction was made between knowledge of such things which are true in every community and other types of communal knowledge such as mythologies and legal systems. However, Aristotle does attempt to differentiate science from the practical work of artisans and labourers.
A major turning point in the early philosophical science was the controversial attempt by Socrates to apply philosophy to the study of human things and combining scientific knowledge with human nature, the nature of political communities, and human knowledge itself in which he was quite successful. He criticized the older type of study of physics as too purely speculative. He was particularly concerned that some of the early physicists treated nature as if it could be assumed that it had no intelligent order, explaining things merely in terms of motion and matter. The main emphasis put in by Socrates was towards practical knowledge and facts.
During late antiquity and the early Middle Ages was the period for medieval science, which was dominated by the Aristotelian approach to inquiries on natural phenomenon was used. During the fall of the Roman Empire and periodic political struggles, some ancient knowledge was lost. However, the general fields of science and much of the general knowledge from the ancient world remained preserved through the works of the early researchers. The much of early medieval period was dominated by Syrian Christians from Eastern Europe such as Nestorians who translated much of the important Greek science texts from Greek to Syrian and the later on translated many of the works into Arabic and other languages and led to a major transmission for the development of Islamic science which provided much of the activity during the early medieval period. In Europe, men like Roger Bacon learned Arabic and Hebrew and argued for more experimental science. By the late Middle Ages, a synthesis of Catholicism and Aristotle’s study known as Scholasticism was flourishing in Western Europe, which had become a new geographic centre of science.
Galileo is considered as the father of modern science. By the late Middle Ages, especially in Italy, there was an influx of texts and scholars. This period began with the criticization of the all aspects of scholasticism in the 15th and 16th centuries; one author who was notoriously persecuted was Galileo, who made innovative use of experiment and mathematics. In Northern Europe, the new technology of the printing press was widely used to publish many arguments and this was a major advancement that led to the documentation of research papers. Many arguments in the favour of a new type of non-Aristotelian science were also published. Descartes argued that mathematics could be used in order to study nature, as Galileo had done, and Bacon emphasized the importance of experiment over contemplation. A lot of emphases was put on practical innovation during this stage; Bacon also argued that science should aim for the first time at practical inventions for the improvement of all human life.
It was the 17th and 18th centuries that the project of modernity was promoted by Bacon and Descartes, which led to rapid scientific advance and the successful development of a new type of natural science, mathematical, methodically experimental, and deliberately innovative. This was the time when Newton and Leibniz succeeded in developing a new physics, which is very commonly referred to as Newtonian physics, which could be confirmed by experiment and explained in mathematics. Leibniz also incorporated terms from Aristotelian physics, but now being used in a new non-teleological way, for example, "energy" and "potential". Hence physics during this stage saw a lot of development. It is, during this period that the word "science" gradually became more commonly used to refer to the pursuit of a type of knowledge, and especially knowledge of nature — coming close in meaning to the old term "natural philosophy".
With the replacement of Newtonian physics and some very important technical advancements taking place, 20th century marked the beginning of new technological reforms. Einstein's Theory of Relativity and the development of quantum mechanics led to the replacement of Newtonian physics with a new physics which contains two parts that describe different types of events in nature. Scientific innovation has been extensively utilized during this time during the wars, led to the space race and widespread public appreciation of the importance of modern science. Science is developing day by day and has progressed a lot during the last century and we have become quite revolutionizes in terms of technology.
Well, science is really our basic necessity as for today we can say that without science and technology we may not be ourselves today we might be still covered with leaves and animal skin even today in the 21st century. Our life today is easy and outgoing because of science and technology. Today we can communicate with our loved ones sitting miles away from us very easily, we could visit them anytime, and anywhere we want to be using the easiest way. Today life is very comfortable, easy, and fast thanks to science and technology. If science and technology would not have existed in our lives, then you would not have been able to sit in front of the computer and read this article. Science has made many things possible that were nearly impossible in the past few centuries. Science today has no limits and boundaries and has entered our lives like our soul. Various uses of science are:
