Talk:Natural science

I must dispute this definition. I've always seen "natural science" used to differentiate between "science" as a discipline following the scientific method, and "science" as a field of knowledge generally, e.g. computer science or even "the science of theology". -- April

This distinction is sometimes made, but the distinction made here is also used, and I put it in because the article "Physical science" alludes to it.

• I understand, and will put in the alternate definition as, well, an alternate definition. -- April

Physical sciences are part of natural sciences, so I eliminated the first paragraph, that "contrasted" the two terms. AstroNomer 22:05 Jul 30, 2002 (PDT)

The sentence beginning "The term natural science is also used to differentiate" leaves the reader no wiser as to how it does this. If I say, "the term sensible person is used to differentiate between people with left-wing beliefs and those with right-wing beliefs," which belief system am I espousing? Okay, what I really came here to ask about was, "Is computer science a natural science?" Jdforrester claims so in a recent edit to the Main Page, but I would have thought that a natural science should have something to do with nature... -- Oliver P. 23:51 1 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Hmm. No, I don't think CS is a natural science, much as I don't think that Mathematics is one. The heading says 'Philosophy, Mathematics, Natural Science' and that's what I would say CS comes under. Certainly, it fits much better there than as an applied science, where it was previously. -- James F. 00:05 2 Jul 2003 (UTC)

CS is not a natural science. It's a mathematical science. It belongs with Mathematics and Statistics. Poor Yorick 05:10 2 Jul 2003 (UTC)