ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the characteristics of scientific explanation, including, for example, theories and laws. It focuses on the single most important and defining characteristic of science, which is that any statement made in science must be open to test by observation of the world, thereby enabling one to gather information about its truth or falsity. Not all statements are open to test by observation; hence, to say that a statement is a scientific one is to say something in particular, namely that its truth or falsity can be tested by observation. For clarity, note that we are not here denying that the statement 'It is wrong to keep animals locked up in cages' is false, and we are not denying that it is true. Rather, we are saying that whether it is true or false cannot be discovered by observation.
