SCI'ENCE, in a general sense, knowl edge, or certain knowledge ; the knowl edge of many methodically digested and arranged so as to become attainable by 0110 ; the comprehension or understanding or truth or filets by the mind. 'file science of God mast ho perfect—in philosophy. a collection of the general principles or leading truths relating to any sidject.—l'are science, as the mathe matics, is built on self-evident troths ; but the term science is also applied to other subjects founded on generally ac knowledged truths, as metaphysics; or on experiment and observation, as chemistry and natural philosophy; or even to an assemblage of the general principles of an art, as the science of agriculture ; the science of navigation. The knowledge of reasons and their con clusions, constitutes abstract science; that of causes anti effects, and of the laws of nature, natural or physical science. The term science is often used to signify that which we know inductively, or by the experience of particulars, from which we amend to general conclusions not necessarily constituted by those particu lars, yet warranted by previous experi ence and by analogies widely observed. This signification of the term is applica ble to physical, moral, and practical science.—Physical or natural science is that which is susceptible of experiment, and is therefore said to he founded on ex perimental evidence.—Moral science, is
that which, lying in great part beyond the reach of experiment, rests for its certainty on aggregated facts, supported by concurrent testimony, by experience, and by analogy, so as to leave no room for doubt, though not demonstrable.— Practical science, is that which consists of general observations arising out of experience, and is otherwise called theory in correlation to an art or practice belonging to it. The term science, how ever, is more particularly used in con tradistinction to art and literature. As distinguished from the former, a science is a body of truths, the common princi ples of which are supposed to be known and separated, so that the individual truths, even though some or all may he clear in themselves, have a guarantee that they could have been discovered and known either with certainty, or with such probability as the subject admits of, by other means than their own evidence. As distinguished from literature, science is applied to any branch of knowledge which is made thb subject of investiga tion with a view to discover and apply first principles.