This week I want to write some content for those pursuing or planning to pursue a scientific field. Understanding the purpose of science may serve as some motivation to get over initial hurdles that are often found in STEM-related fields.
There exists quite a debate on the discovery of science. Some people argue that science started during the Renaissance when the scientific method was developed. The scientific method gave became the baseline of building findings within the field since it provided a way of verifying findings. The consensus seems to be that science came from the ancient Greeks, great thinkers of the time: Hippocrates and Aristotle, about 460 - 322 BC. Greek philosophers asked essential questions related to how things worked, questions of how we came to be, or how the land could float on water. These thinkers sought non-supernatural explanations for natural phenomena.
Medicine became a field that was studied by Hippocrates and his followers, who were set on describing the human body, diseases, and medical conditions. In Egypt, Euclid laid foundations in mathematical foundations, introducing the concept of definitions, axioms, theorems, and proofs. Linguistics gave way to generative grammar. Astronomy let us understand the world around us. Science all around the globe became anything from a religion to a way of thinking to an everyday tool to be used by people. It may also be how to earn a living. I think no matter what we do or how we think of science, it does not change its goal of understanding the natural world around us.
Scientists seek information to expand our knowledge and help us live better lives. I think that is a great thing to be able to contribute to the understanding of the world (it can be through products, papers, research, etc.), and although it may be difficult or tiring: knowledge sought is knowledge gained.
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