Formal sciences are disciplines concerned with formal systems, such as logic, mathematics, statistics, theoretical computer science, information theory, game theory, systems theory, decision theory, and portions of linguistics.
Whereas natural sciences and other sciences like social sciences, behavioral sciences, and cognitive science seek soundness of scientific theory with respect to observations in order to successfully predict and perhaps accurately explain phenomena in the external world, the formal sciences are concerned with the internal properties of formal systems, especially definitions of terms and rules governing inferences.
Formal sciences sometimes aid constructing, assessing, and testing scientific theories and scientific models, however, by revealing inconsistencies or invalid forms of inference.
Read more about Formal Sciences: History, Differences From Other Forms of Science
Famous quotes containing the words formal and/or sciences:
“I will not let him stir
Till I have used the approvèd means I have,
With wholesome syrups, drugs, and holy prayers,
To make of him a formal man again.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend is the policy for promoting the progress of the arts and the sciences and a flourishing culture in our land.”
—Mao Zedong (1893–1976)