shAf,
If you want to be technical and really push it; you have to go back to the
ancient Greeks and their use of the term "science" in their wirtings which
typically means any comprehensive systematic study of a subject (or
figuratively stated, any systematic ongoing discussion of a subject or
field; or put in shorter terms, any systematic intellectual discipline).
They key is the notion that science = sysstematic not that science + any
particular method. Thus, according to the ancient Greeks, mathematics would
be a science as would be logic and philosophy. However, today, science is
identified with a specific methodology which even when abstract and
theoretical presupposes a link to the empirical not the analytical world of
reality. Mathematics is entirely a deductive anlaytical undertaking that
rests on some form of symbolic logic, having no theoretical need to make
reference to an empirical world. Thus, in todays use of the term, pure
mathematics would not be called a science. However, here we can get into
splitting hairs by merely distinguishing between "empirical sciences" and
"analytical sciences;" I do not use the term "theoretcial" as a qualifier
for "science" because both empirical and analytical can be theoretical and
often have theoretical components within their given referent world of
reality - be it concrete empirical or abstaract artificial.
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of shAf
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 11:47 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: filmscanners: RE:scientific method
Austin writes ...
regarding:
>
> > And mathematicians are not scientists?!?!?!?!?!?!
>
> No, they are not. Some may happen to be both, but being a
> mathematician does not make you a scientist,
> ... They are entirely different disciplines and fields.
It would depend a bit on how you define a "scientist". To me a
scientist is one who accepts the scientific method of "learning". If
either observes, hypothesizes, submits to peer criticism ... and on
which is built subsquent methodology, then they accept the scientific
method. Mathematicians may deal with more abstract observations and
hypotheses, but they ustilize the same method.
myUS$0.02 ... shAf
btw ... isn't it about time we changed the subject(?) ... at least,
the subject line(?)
