Science is three things: A philosophy, a method, and a practice.
Science is a philosophy of the natural world: Objective reality is intelligible, rational (non self-contradictory), universal (stable within Space and Time). This world is worth study in its own right, deriving simply stated principles of unfathomable subtlety. Mystics, psychics, solipsists need not apply.
Scientific Method is empirical, experimental: Formulate a falsifiable, testable hypothesis; design requisite experiments capable of verifying it; conduct the experiments and report all –repeat, all– outcomes, negative as well as positive, to qualified experts (“peers”) for thoroughgoing and above all transparent evaluation and review.
In practice, science is a social enterprise. “Peer review” exists not only to place hypotheses in context and perspective (perpetual motion advocates, charletons such as Lysenko and Velikovosky find no audience) but above all to duplicate results. Like “cold fusion,” where disinterested, independent forums cannot validate conclusions, all else fails.
In science, a Theory is a proven hypothesis, validated from different angles by multiple procedures over time. Theories need not be complete, as classic Newtonian mechanics became subsumed in General Relativity admixed with quantum-physical statistics. But Darwinian Evolution (for example), explicated by Mendelian genetics, traced by biochemists
as Watson and Crick’s astounding Double Helix, verified by powerful genomic principle, is no more amenable to attitudinal refutation than is thermodynamics to Perpetual Motion types.
“Mad Scientist” is a cliche. In reality, Mad Demagogues, Mad Politicians of every stripe periodically inflict their monomaniacal delusions of grandeur on rent-seeking populations persuaded that something-for-nothing is but a slogan away.
Today’s exhibits include Al Gore, Obama, among other atavistic retrogressives of their collectivist/Statist ilk. Science, including disciplines such as political economics, refutes their barking dogmas root-and-branch. Alas, since when has humble realism ever trumped overweening arrogance, callous pretention, appeals to self-destructive nihilism as a force for good?
