The Why Behind The Sky

Ok, I’m assuming that you have taken a science class or at least know who Bill Nye the Science guy is… But do you fully understand what exactly science is, how it started, or how the scientific process works?

Well, as a foundation for future writings, we are going to explore this together in a quick outline, and I’m going to have some fun. Buckle up buttercup, cause we’re about to move in a linear direction, accelerating to a constant velocity for a predetermined duration (a.k.a, we’re going for a short ride down the road):

What It Is, and What It Isn’t

In the general sense, science, at its base root is simply the pursuit of understanding the how and why behind the phenomena in the natural world. What initially started as simple observations of the human eye has greatly evolved in the course of hundreds of years into complex fields of study that can be categorized into primary scientific disciplines, such as Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Earth Sciences, further diving into their corresponding branches, such as Physics, Biology, and Geology. The branches go even deeper into other sub-branches that would make a very long list if I were to keep going (a good example would be Quantum Mechanics, which is a sub-branch of Physics). Mathematics is also a part of this picture as it can be used to express/explain phenomena and theories in alphanumeric equations.

Don’t worry, I do not plan to use mathematical formulas in my writings because I would like to keep you as a reader (although, if math is your thing and you appreciate the puns and math anecdotes from time to time, welcome aboard!). In future writings, I will be largely focused on Physics and Biology in addition to Philosophy, religions, and human behavior as I begin to dive into the why behind the interesting stuff in our world and universe.

Now, what science isn’t. True science, at its core, is evidence based and can be repeated/observed, and can be scrutinized/tested by peers. When a phenomena cannot be measured/repeated, or is loosely observed without the ability of outside scrutiny, then it may fall outside of the scientific disciplines and be considered Pseudoscience.¹

A Brief History. How it Started with the Stars and Turned Into… Well, We Still Like Stars

The early origins of science can be traced to 2500BCE, when peoples in northwestern Europe and Mesopotamia began to study the movements of the earth and celestial bodies (stars, mostly), which helped establish a fundamental understanding of seasons, mathematics, the use of calendars, and some of the myths and lore we still have today (i.e., Stonehenge). Later on, about two thousand years or so, the Greeks contributed breakthroughs in the physical sciences, philosophy, and mathematics, not to mention the incredible contributions in mathematics and astronomy from China and India around that time.

Fast forward a few more hundred years, where we are starting to leave BCE and begin counting years in CE, and we have material contributions from the Middle East and the Americas (i.e., Algebra and the Mayan Calendar).

Get past the dark and middle ages, (so called because the dark Sith Lord was in middle management at a Starbucks during this time) we start seeing the emergence of what we now know as modern science and its various branches.

From the works of Newton, Galileo, Faraday, and more recently, Einstein and Planck, we had an accelerated rate of discovery, knowledge, and technological advancement, especially in the last two hundred years that have contributed to not only a significantly better quality of life but also a deeper understanding of the inner workings of the universe.²

How Do You Science, Bro?

Now, the fun part – how do you correctly practice science? What is this mysterious scientific process/method?

Well, surprisingly, we actually practice this everyday. It all starts with first observing something: Light bulb, no turn on.

Then we define the issue/problem: Light bulb should turn on when switch is pointed up.

This then causes us to form a hypothesis: If light bulb off when switch is on, then breaker must be off.

Now we conduct an experiment to determine if there is merit in the hypothesis: Go to breaker and turn breaker in the on position.

The result of the experiment will help determine whether the hypothesis has merit, which will further turn this into a viable theory: Light bulb turn on, breaker control light bulb in addition to switch, power good.

Now, I narrated the steps above from the perspective of a GEICO caveman (remember the commercials?), and the actual process is much more intentional, specific, and often requires repeating the steps to further test the theory and either prove or disprove it, in a unbiased conclusion. For example, if turning the breaker on did not turn on the light bulb, or the light bulb turned off while both breaker and switch were on, then this indicates flaws in the hypothesis/theory which would warrant further experimentation.³

Ok, Why is This Cool Again?

The steps and processes in the scientific method and the discipline within the sciences create an environment where questions can be asked and tested, with outcomes reviewed and tested again. This is evidence based and forces us to remove all biases and seek out the facts behind what it is that we are observing and an understanding of why.

A true pursuit of a scientific inquiry will remove one’s notion of ego and replace it with a notion of intrigue, curiosity, and discovery. Beliefs that were established without a basis in fact will be tested to determine if there is truth in these beliefs.

But hold on…what is truth? And is it different from facts? Well, that depends on how we view these.

Oh no, now we are getting into philosophy/psychology and how we as humans view the world around us, like hermeneutic phenomenology, for example. Not even the scientific disciplines can easily escape the confines of how we view reality and how our perceptions define this for us. What are we to do?

In future writings, I will dive deeper into this enigma, but if your interest is peaked, I encourage you to take a moment and explore the references noted below to go even deeper into the history and facts that makes science what it is.

1. _{The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2025, October 17). pseudoscience. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/pseudoscience} ↩︎
2. _{Williams, L.P. (2025, September 29). history of science. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/history-of-science} ↩︎
3. _{Ryan, M., & O’Callaghan, A. (2002). The Scientific Method, Extension. University of Nevada. https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=4239} ↩︎