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Revision as of 10:06, 21 May 2004 editBozMo (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users14,164 editsm corrected grammar← Previous edit Revision as of 10:19, 21 May 2004 edit undoBozMo (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users14,164 edits tried to clarify different usage of termsNext edit →
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The way which different fields of study are defined is determined as much by historical convention as by the present day meaning of the words.
The '''natural sciences''' are the study of the physical, nonhuman aspects of the world.
⚫ As a group, the natural sciences are distinguished from the '']s,'' on the one hand, as well as from the ]s and ] on the other. Natural sciences generally attempt to explain the workings of the world via natural processes rather than ] processes.


⚫ Thus the traditional description of '''Natural Science''' is the study of the physical, nonhuman aspects of the world. As a group, the natural sciences are distinguished from ] and the '']s,'' on the one hand, and from the ]s and ] on the other. Natural sciences generally attempt to explain the workings of the world via natural processes rather than ] processes. The term '''natural science''' is also used to idenitify "science" as a discipline following the ].
The term '''natural science''' is also used to differentiate between "science" as a discipline following the ], and "science" as a field of knowledge generally, e.g. ] or even "the science of ]".


In some contexts, the natural sciences are defined differently (sometimes called the ]s, involved in biological processes), and are distinguished from the ]s (involved in the physical and chemical laws underlying the universe). Alongside this traditional usage, more recently the words "natural sciences" are sometimes used in a way more closely matching their everyday meaning. In this sense "natural sciences" can be an alternative phrase for ]s, involved in biological processes), and are distinguished from the ]s (involved in the physical and chemical laws underlying the universe).


==Natural sciences== ==Natural sciences==

Revision as of 10:19, 21 May 2004

The way which different fields of study are defined is determined as much by historical convention as by the present day meaning of the words.

Thus the traditional description of Natural Science is the study of the physical, nonhuman aspects of the world. As a group, the natural sciences are distinguished from theology and the social sciences, on the one hand, and from the arts and humanities on the other. Natural sciences generally attempt to explain the workings of the world via natural processes rather than divine processes. The term natural science is also used to idenitify "science" as a discipline following the scientific method.

Alongside this traditional usage, more recently the words "natural sciences" are sometimes used in a way more closely matching their everyday meaning. In this sense "natural sciences" can be an alternative phrase for biological sciences, involved in biological processes), and are distinguished from the physical sciences (involved in the physical and chemical laws underlying the universe).

Natural sciences

See also: List of academic disciplines

External links