Metaphysics vs. Science

Sometimes it´s astonishing how things are described when using different languages.

Some longer time ago I got to know that the English word "science" which is usually translated into German as "Wissenschaft" does not really has the same meaning, although most dictionaries translate it so simple.
Yet I had to realize that the word "science" is only used for what in German is called "Naturwissenschaften" (= "Science of nature") - or with other words mathematics and physics.

I found out that the whole American/English system has a total different logic of structuring diverse academic fields than we have in Germany.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wissenschaft

In Germany we seem to have an interesting structure of the diverse academic fields. I.e. the English "science" and the "social sciences" both belong to "Empirical sciences" (pls. have a look at the Wikipedia-link).

So what about the "place" of Chinese metaphysics within the field of academic studies?

I.e. I have seen several people in the internet discussing if "life reading"/ making horoscopes etc. is an art or a science.

My answer is:
It´s a social science. And the value of any kind of hypotheses should be studied/evaluated by using i.e. empirical methods. Empiricism is imo the best academic method to study it.

Except some people want to label life reading now simply as fortune telling by ridiculing using any kind of academic methods for studing Ba Zi Suan Ming...
That would be pretty bad marketing...

I also consider Feng Shui as part of the empirical sciences, it has parts of a social science as well as "sciences" (Naturwissenschaft). And it can be studied by using empirical methods.


Antje