ABSTRACT
Social critics may rely on data when they describe such things as the level of income inequality or the history of slavery. They may even make assertions about how the world works, but they do so with a view to promoting or preventing social change, not to identifying and verifying the predictive implications of their assertions. The principal alternatives to definitions in the philosophy/science literature are those in dictionaries and encyclopedias. However, a collection of definitions from these sources can be a random sample only from some arbitrary and limited category. A thoughtful definition of science is likely to reflect the resolution or avoidance of a conceptual issue or problem. However, some definitions appear indifferent to issues and problems, or skate over them so quickly that they are irrelevant for people's purposes. Although some activity is necessary for any human product, many definitions of science appear much more concerned with kind of product than with related activity.
