Definition of Formal Sciences

The different disciplines that make up science can be ordered based on three parameters: by the object of study, by the method used and by its purpose. Another model of classification consists of dividing the sciences into two large groups: the formal sciences and the factual or empirical.

The formal ones

Logic and mathematics are two formal disciplines because they do not have a concrete empirical content, as is the case with biology, meteorology or history.

Logic is a discipline purely formal and abstract. In a strict sense it does not have an observable, measurable and tangible content. In reality it is a set of rules that are applicable to any type of knowledge, be it scientific or everyday life.

The rules of logic are what allow think coherently and in a rational way. Thus, I cannot say that something is and is not both because I am violating the principle of non-contradiction and I cannot affirm that something is not identical to itself because I am against the principle of identity.

Mathematics is purely abstract, since its content is mental and not material.

Remember that numbers do not exist anywhere in nature, since they are inventions of the human mind to count or calculate something about reality. In this sense, arithmetic, the geometry or algebra are mathematical disciplines that are based on a series of principles that can be rationally demonstrated.

If we take as a reference any equation mathematical, its formulation is valid in a totally independent way of reality.

In short, logic and mathematics make up formal systems that include a series of elements: axioms, symbols, rules of inference and theorems. These elements are expressed in the form of statements that are described through signs.

The factual ones have the formal sciences implicit

The set of disciplines that deal with studying facts need a formal structure so that their object of study makes sense. On the other hand, to show that a statement in biology or chemistry is formally true, there must be a correlation with the empirical data.

In short, formal sciences are projected onto the world of observable facts. If we take the Pythagorean theorem as a reference, its formulation is valid for any reality in which there is a right angle forming a right triangle.

In short, the formal sciences and the factual sciences are complementary and should not be conceived as separate areas of knowledge.

Photos: Fotolia - Artisticco / Sergey Bogdanov