In the last few years I have had many opportunities to talk to people who think there is a big difference between science and technology. A lot of them seem to think that science is cold, mechanical, boring and definitely not entertaining. However, the thing is that this idea about what science is comes from a misunderstanding of what science is. Science can be seen as the systematic approach to understanding the universe and how everything works, in particular how it interacts with itself and other things. This information is used by scientists to try and explain the natural world around us.
The difference between science and technology
Is that science uses its observations and experiments to provide theories about how the world works. For example, paleontologists may well be able to tell us what dinosaurs looked like, but they do not have any real scientific method by which to do this. In contrast, technology has a very structured, tested and verified methodology by which to study the way in which things work in the real world. For example, computer scientists test and retest every theory they ever build about how the computer works so that they are able to provide you with better and more efficient ways to use the computer, which in turn leads to more and better use of information and communication.
So, although there may be some tension between science and technology, there is actually no difference between them at all. Science provides us with great ideas and technology helps us to implement those ideas into a practical aspect. The real difference between the two is that one is tentative while the other is more definite. Science is tentative because it relies on observations and its hypothesis is based on the laws of nature. On the other hand, technology is very definite. It can always find a practical application for existing theories and it is very confident that its theoretical premise is correct.
If we want to find out the difference between science and technology
Then perhaps we should look at how theories are tested against real-life data. This will allow us to see exactly what it is that distinguishes science from technology. If you were to take a cross section of both, you would find that the real science, which is an observational science, deals with obtaining information about the physical world while the technology relies purely on its application to that physical world.
In the final analysis, there is really no difference between science and technology.
Both are methods of gaining knowledge about the natural world. They are not, however, mutually exclusive terms. Science strives for total understanding whereas technology seeks only to make things faster and more efficient.
Thus, there is a tremendous interplay between these two things.
When you think about the real difference between science and technology, you will have to admit that it is purely a matter of perspective. Science is concerned with acquiring knowledge about the physical world and making that knowledge to work by getting things to work. Whereas, technology is concerned with making things more efficient and fast. Thus, there is always a tug of war going on between the two concepts.
The best solution is to keep an open mind and be willing to move forward when either concept is gaining a firm hold on the society.
