Definition of Exact Sciences

Science is the knowledge of what is true, that is, of what is objective and verifiable. Other forms of knowledge can be very suggestive but are not scientific, as is the metaphysics, pseudosciences or knowledge through faith.

Different ways of understanding science

Each science has its own dimension. Thus, there are social Sciences, health sciences, those that are based on the probability (for example, the meteorology) or those that deal with some aspect of nature (biology, zoology, etc.). One of the most relevant sciences is mathematics, which is also called exact sciences. The term is used in the plural because mathematics is made up of differentiated branches such as algebra, arithmetic, geometry or probability. On the other hand, the word exact is used because the different areas of mathematics have something in common: their proofs are unequivocal and indisputable, that is, exact.

The uniqueness of the exact sciences

The idea of ​​science is complex and there is no general agreement on what is science and what is not. In the discussion about the scientificity of a subject, issues such as verification, falsification,

scientific method, the concept of law or scientific theory. However, the accuracy of the mathematics means that there is no controversy as to its scientific validity.

A scientific theory about evolution of living things (for example, Lamarckism) or a theory about the universe (for example, the geocentrism) were accepted as scientific in the past, but their inconsistency. This does not happen with the exact sciences, which present substantially the same postulates as 100, 500 or 2000 years ago.

Characteristics of the exact sciences

Mathematics is not about reality, but is a language to refer to it. In fact, if we say 2 + 2 = 4 we are not referring to something tangible and real but to something imagined and independent of reality.

The principles that support the different areas of mathematics are the axioms, which are extracted from the thought and not from empirical observation. In this sense, knowledge based on axioms is totally precise and accurate and for this reason the term exact sciences is used as a synonym for mathematics.

Although the exact sciences are based on operations of human reason, mathematical formulations are applicable to any dimension of reality. Thus, an architect, an engineer, a carpenter, a farmer or an astronomer will need mathematical knowledge.

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