Topic outline of science

:"For a more comprehensive list, see the List of science topics."

Science in the broadest sense refers to any system of objective knowledge. In a more restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on the scientific method, as well as to the organised body of knowledge humans have gained by such research.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to science:

Essence of science

: "Main article: Science"

* Inquiry
* Objectivity
* Research
* Scientific method
* Scientist

Branches or types of science

Empirical science (typically what is meant by the word "science"). The two main branches of science are:
* Natural science - studies natural phenomena, including biological life
* Social science - studies human behavior and societies

Formal science

Applied science

Scientific fields

Natural sciences

Biology (aka Biological science)

* Biochemistry
* Biophysics
* Botany
* Cellular biology
* Ecology
* Medicine
* Microbiology
* Molecular biology
* Physiology
* Zoology

Physical sciences

* Astronomy
* Chemistry
* Earth sciences
* Physics

Social sciences

* Anthropology
* Communication
* Cultural studies
* Economics
* Education
* Geography
* History
* Linguistics
* Law (but see below)
* Political science
* Psychology (but see below)
* Social policy
* Sociology
* Development studies

Formal sciences

* Logic - "see the List of basic topics in logic"
* Mathematics - sometimes referred to as the "third science". "See the List of basic mathematics topics
* and the theoretical branches of
** Computer science
** Information theory
** Statistics - "see the List of basic statistics topics"

Applied sciences

* Engineering - "see the List of basic engineering topics"
* Technology - "see the List of basic technology topics"

History of science

: "Main article: History of science"

* History of science in general
** History of scientific method
** Theories/sociology of science
** Historiography
** History of pseudoscience
* By era
** History of science in early cultures
** History of science in Classical Antiquity
** History of science in the Middle Ages
** History of science in the Renaissance
** Scientific revolution
* History of natural science
** Natural philosophy
** History of biology
*** Natural history
*** History of ecology
*** History of molecular biology
** History of physical science
*** History of nature
*** History of astronomy, timeline
*** History of chemistry
*** History of earth science
*** History of geography
*** History of geology, timeline
*** History of meteorology, timeline
*** History of physics
* History of the social sciences
** History of science and technology
** History of scientific method
** History of society
** History of archaeology, timeline
** History of business
** History of cognitive science
** History of community
** History of criminal justice
** History of critical theory
** History of economics
** History of education
** History of finance
** History of law
** History of linguistics
** History of management
** History of marketing
** History of parapsychology
** History of political science
** History of psychology, timeline
** History of public affairs
** History of sociology, timeline

: "See also:

Basic science concepts

Biological terms

* Underlying and unifying principles of the biological sciences:
** Universality
** Evolution
** Diversity
** Continuity
** Genetics
** Homeostasis
** Interactions

Famous scientists

: "Main list: List of scientists"

* Aristotle
* Archimedes
* Andreas Vesalius
* Nicolaus Copernicus
* Galileo Galilei
* Johannes Kepler
* René Descartes
* Isaac Newton
* Leonhard Euler
* Pierre-Simon Laplace
* Alexander von Humboldt
* Charles Darwin
* James Clerk Maxwell
* Marie Curie
* Albert Einstein
* Linus Pauling
* John Bardeen
* Frederick Sanger

Science lists

: "Main article: List of science topics"

* List of scientists