ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Jared Diamond in "Collapse"  gave a nice definition: “Science is 
reliable knowledge about our world”
I brought this up with Hooley McLaughlin last year when we were doing 
the prep work for our ASTC session ""Gutless no More- What exhibits 
science centers should be doing" and Hooley disagreed. “ Science is a 
process, it is not knowledge.”  So modifying the statement for Hooley's 
point makes it:
Science is the acquisition of reliable knowledge about our world.

But I have to disagree with Hooley and told him so then;  I think that 
science is both the process and the knowledge.  The point of science IS 
the knowledge, specifically the knowledge of knowing what is happening 
now so we can guide our labors in the future.  For isn't the most 
fundamental role of science is the improving the quality of human life? 
   Knowing what is happening so that we have the resources we need to 
live well cannot be a game of chance.  We need reliable knowledge and 
the process of science gives it to us.
For example, the science of farming is knowing what to plant in what 
soil, when it is going to come up and how to harvest it and cook it.   
The process of figuring out that knowledge base was done a long, long 
time ago, but we can still refer to it as a science, the science of 
farming.

The fact that we have more knowledge than ever is really something to 
celebrate.
The problems that we face on this planet have to do with applying that 
knowledge to guide our endeavours.  Think global warming or the 
depletion of oil.  We know these are happening.  The way to deal with 
them is to choose wisely what we manufacture now.  I personally cringe 
at every high horsepower heavy vehicle we continue to produce, knowing 
what we know today, that our vehicles and our farm machinery run out of 
oil within our own lifetimes, and that global warming is changing the 
parameters of every single ecosystem we've got.  We can and should 
apply the science we know to these problems to solve them.  We still 
want transportation, so our society doesn't collapse, so all of us in 
society can get to the jobs we are all specialists at, so we can get 
our food, so we can enjoy our culture, including science centers.   
We've got to act now.  Yes, do help define science for 7 and under, but 
also for all of us.

Science is central to the quality of our lives, through the application 
of science-based (reliable) knowledge to the actions we take.

Central to this particular discussion is what is the role of our 
science centers?  If we are going to be more than just entertainment 
centers we need to attempt such things as clearly defining science and 
its role for all of our human society.

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