For any scientific subject, it is prudent to distinguish among three areas:
- The science of that subject as such! Some examples are physics, genetics, and sociology.
- The history of that scientific subject. Some examples are history of physics, history of genetics, and history of sociology.
- The philosophy of that scientific subject. Some examples are philosophy of physics, philosophy of genetics, and philosophy of sociology.
Definition: Philosophy of a scientific subject deals with the overall picture of that subject, and the questions related to WHY.
Definition: History of a scientific subject deals with the story of ideas within that subject, and the questions related to WHO, WHEN, WHERE, WHAT.
Definition: Science of a scientific subject deals with patterns and processes observed within that subject, and the questions related to HOW.
Formal definition of science:
- Soft definition: Science is a part of human knowledge dealing with counts and measurements.
- Hard definition: Science is a part of human knowledge dealing with the analysis of counts and measurements through deterministic mathematical methods and stochastic statistical models.
Please notice that I do not distinguish between natural / empirical sciences and social sciences / humanities.
Morpheus: “You all look the same to me!”
Hossein Jorjani 