On: What is data science?

[hnote]

The misnaming of fields of study is so common as to lead to what might be general systems laws.

For example, Frank Harary once suggested the law that any field that had the word "science" in its name was guaranteed thereby not to be a science. He would cite as examples Military Science, Library Science, Political Science, Homemaking Science, Social Science, and Computer Science.

Discuss the generality of this law, and possible reasons for its predictive power.

-- Gerald Weinberg, "An Introduction to General Systems Thinking."

[hnote → hnote]

A Google Books link: http://bit.ly/cAF4Xz

[ced → hnote]

Counterexample: Neuroscience. But that's the only one I can find.

[hnote → ced]

Notice how Neuroscience can't be split into two words... This exception seems to be supporting the rule.

[anamax → ced]

Materials science is my counter example.

[billswift → anamax]

Materials science isn't any more (or less) science than computer science is. It is applied chemistry.