9.6 STATEMENT ON 'WHAT IS SCIENCE?'

http://www.aps.org/statements/99.6.html

(Adopted by the Council, 14 November 1999) 

Science extends and enriches our lives, expands our imagination and
liberates us from the bonds of ignorance and superstition. The
American Physical Society affirms the precepts of modern science
that are responsible for its success. 

Science is the systematic enterprise of gathering knowledge about
the universe and organizing and condensing that knowledge into
testable laws and theories. 

The success and credibility of science are anchored in the
willingness of scientists to: 

1.Expose their ideas and results to independent testing and
replication by others. This requires the open exchange of data,
procedures and materials. 

2.Abandon or modify previously accepted conclusions when
confronted with more complete or reliable experimental or
observational evidence. 

Adherence to these principles provides a mechanism for
self-correction that is the foundation of the credibility of science.