INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - For at least 400 years, "science" has
been defined as knowledge gained through study or learning
acquired through the scientific method. Initially, this
definition made scientific knowledge the property of a very
small number of people who had access to universities and
libraries or who could establish private laboratories. With the
invention of the printing press and increasing literacy and
available public education, scientific knowledge became more and
more accessible, but adherence to the scientific method remained
a constant. The scientific method is based on the use of
measurable data obtained through observation or experimentation.
The Oxford English Dictionary says that the scientific method
is: "a method or procedure that has characterized natural
science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic
observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation,
testing, and modification of hypotheses." The chief
characteristic that distinguishes the scientific method from