Science is widely esteemed. Apparently it is a widely held belief that there is something special about science and its methods. - Alan Chalmers

Science describes not just the observable world but also the world that lies beyond the appearances. This is a rough statement of realism with respect to science.

The greater the number of conjectured theories that are confronted by the realities of the world, and the more speculative those conjectures are, the greater will be the chances of major advances in science.

It should be no news to anyone that the perceptual judgements of individuals can be unreliable for a range of reasons. The challenge, in science, is to arrange the observable situation in such a way that the reliance on such judgements is minimised if not eliminated.