What really is it that makes science science

Long ago I learned that science is a way of thinking. It is not following a formula although that may be part of it. Science is the act of discovery. It is the formulation of discovery so it can be replicated and thus passed on as fact.

It is not science when tired old truisms are wrapped in new clothes. Following a standard formula and using big words does not science make. Description of a scientific study also is not science, although it may be a way to science. So what then is science?

Science is finding the truth through trial and error. That means you may even be wrong at first. But you keep looking, and you keep wondering until finally the revelation shines as a bright lantern. Science means observation. It means to get to know something. Science is organizing those observations into a testable statement.

Science is finding the truth through seeking. It may be a winding path. But once the goal is in sight, it will fulfill all the requirements of a deeper truth. And that deeper truth is the beginning of the understanding of science.

Science can't be corrupted. It has to be honest. It has to stand alone and wait for confirmation and discourse until more knowledge changes the concept to an even greater truth.