SCIENCE! So what is it?

Everyone knows the mad scientist trope of SCIENCE! So what is SCIENCE! for you? In what relationship does it stand with actual scientific knowledge? What else is it? DIS-CUSS! DIS-CUSS! DIS-CUUUUUSS!!!!!

For me, SCIENCE! is what is now called "pseudo-science." Things like phrenology (my apologies to you phrenologists), Flat Earth theories, cryptozoology, Snake Oil medicine shows, alchemy, cabinets of curiosities...the list goes on. Each thing is based on the odd, inane, crock, and whimsical.

Perhaps I'm missing the grand picture of the "mad scientist," but those are the sort of things that I'm into --- oh, and Tesla, of course.

Maybe a plug for Book of the SubGenius is called for?

I agree thoroughly with Mr. Cook! Especially the snake oil, alchemy and cabinets of curiosities. How I do enjoy cabinets of curiosities!

SCIENCE! To me is also anything I have to break to figure out how it works. Clocks, tea kettles, and internets.

-Dr. J.M. Renfield (Doctor of Breaking Things, Obviously.)

SCIENCE! Is science pursued by the talented layman.
The natural laws of physics of chemistry and of biology discovered and understood through base reason and study of their direct application rather than the study of books.
SCIENCE! is a matter of trial and error, the madcap and eccentric explorers on the shores of laydom or even, in the case of a rare few, the furthest shores of science itself. Taking real science to new and exciting places with no means to navigate other than gut instinct.
This is SCIENCE!

Science is the art of documenting failure, most great inventions don’t come from “Eureka”, but “ That’s odd”, I’m quoting someone but I have no idea who, sorry,
It’s the art of proving which things don’t work, you will experiment till you get it right, then you know one way of doing something right, and many ways of not doing it..
As for science in steam punk, I agree it is what is now know as pseudo science, those subjects that people, have been orphaned and lost favour,

For me, SCIENCE! is taking shortcuts in scientific experimentation, with heightened risk of catastrophic failure, including more explosions and zombocalypses than usual. Also more fun.

That is SCIENCE!

Especially fun SCIENCE! nonetheless.

SCIENCE! is a way for me to have fun, while still attending school. And any accidents can no longer be blamed on me either.

In SCIENCE!, there are no failures. Explosions occur JUST AS PLANNED, even if they were not.

elShoggotho wrote:

In SCIENCE!, there are no failures. Explosions occur JUST AS PLANNED, even if they were not.

That is highly agreeable. There is always a chance something might blow up. Even if it's just a piece of paper with a drawing of a new contraption.

Quote :

That is highly agreeable. There is always a chance something might blow up. Even if it's just a piece of paper with a drawing of a new contraption

Wow, if even your diagrams are explosive, I hate to see what the actual devises do when they explode.

SCIENCE is the art of happening to make useful discoveries while intending to simply enjoy a lot of explosions.

No?
Hm...My chemistry professor certainly believed this was the truth of SCIENCE!!!!


Oh..and the re-construction of a mutilated fae by means of loads of gears and steam valves and clockwork wings.
And the subsequent transference of said fae's aetheric being(soul)to a large doll body upon the failure of the reconstructed one.
(Much thanks Sir Shoggoth)

I've been known to exclaim: "SCIENCE!" while discovering, or telling others about the discovery of how something works.

While I somewhat agree with the general sentiment expressed here that SCIENCE! is a reckless, or simply cool experiment (or explosion,) I would add another dimension to that. For me, what more closely embodies the spirit of SCIENCE! is to take your knowledge, and do something ridiculously useful, or ridiculously awesome with it, preferably both.

KinoOmega's graphic, reminded me of a example of this "pure awesome" I once heard. Supposedly, back in wilder times of SCIENCE! Ted Taylor, a nuclear physicist, used the reflected thermal pulse of a nuclear blast to light a cigarette at one of the atomic bomb tests.

Not particularly useful, but you have to admit... awesome.

hmmmm ted taylor? I wonder if im related.

My youth paster works at oak ridge, that is, the place the nuclear bomb was developed, and once me and my friends were talk about rayguns an why we dont have real ones yet, so we asked him and he refused to comment.....to me, that totaly means the goverment is building rayguns. thats science

" Your Right", just asked a MOD official if the have the Hamster Turbine genarator factory online yet , they refused to comment, so it must be true

I present this brilliant peice from XKCD:

Spoiler:

Hah ! jolly good show !

Science is asking "why does that work" and then taking it apart to find out. I have done so on many occasions...and had to clean up the mess afterwards. It's also asking "I wonder what would happen if...", which can have disastrous results.

Athena wrote:

Science is asking "why does that work" and then taking it apart to find out.

Engineering is smacking the fools upside the head and figuring out how to put it back together again.

I know. Been there, done that.