Fundamental Science

Fundamental science (pure science) is science that describes the most basic objects and forces as well as the relations among them and laws governing them. Other phenomena may in principle be thought to be derived from the processes studied in fundamental science, following the logic of scientific reductionism. Biology, chemistry, and physics are fundamental sciences; engineering is not. There is a difference between fundamental science and applied science (or practical science). Fundamental science, in contrast to applied science, may have no immediate practical use. Progress in fundamental science is based on controlled experiments and careful observation although these methods do not distinguish fundamental science from applied science; progress in applied science equally depends upon controlled experiments and careful observation. Fundamental science is dependent upon deductions from well-established findings and valued theories. Fundamental science has traditionally been associated with the physical and natural sciences; some research in the social and behavioral sciences, however, can also be deemed fundamental (e.g., cognitive neuroscience, personality).