Cool question John.
What article do you refer to specifically? I can give you a general response, but without specifics, keep in mind that it is a generalized response.
Let’s then start by defining science.
• According to Berkeley University (https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/whatisscience_01):
“Science is both a body of knowledge and a process.” In NLP and TLT we have both a body of knowledge and a process by which we implement that knowledge to create change in behavior and emotional output.
• According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science)
“Science (from Latin scientia, meaning “knowledge”) is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
In our case we are not talking about the outer universe “out there” but the inner universe, “in here”. however, there is a system, and an organization of the body of knowledge which is testable, and b y whcih we can make further predictions, called NLP and TLT. the body of knowledge for both is systematized for the replication of the results. We can predict and test that if we do a Swish Pattern or any other NLP or TLT technique in every language all over the world, and we apply it for the right negative state or behavior, and we follow a certain replicatable number of steps, we will get the same predictable result which is a change in behavior toward the desired outcome. We can predict that if we change a person’s values there will be changes in behavior following a certain pattern. We can predict that if we change the orientation of the Time Line, there will be changes in personality that again follow a certain pattern.
• Several other ways of defining science are to be found here: (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/science)
-systematized knowledge in general.
-knowledge, as of facts or principles; knowledge gained by systematic study.
-a particular branch of knowledge.
-skill, especially reflecting a precise application of facts or principles; proficiency.
You can see then, how all these different ways of looking at science apply to the body of knowledge called NLP and Time Line Therapy(r).
In our case, we are talking about the science of the mind and its operations. As you already know and as we discussed during the Master Practitioner and Trainers Training, NLP is a compounded collection of scientific processes coming from linguistics (transformational grammar) which is a soft science, nevertheless a science, psychology (another soft-science), hypnosis (utilized as part of psychology), and other behavioral sciences in general. It is not a hard science where we use formulas and algorithms, as human beings are not computers (yet), and it is not oriented toward outer nature or the universe as in the external world. Nevertheless a soft science is still a science. TLT is an offshoot of NLP, and utilizes in a systematic and organized way the knowledge of the linear time organization in the mind. Therefore, as you may remember, many times we refer to both NLP and TLT as an “art and a science” the art part being the application of a technique to a particular individual, depending of the person with whom you are working on in a coaching interaction or training exercise as well as the selection of the right technique for the presenting coaching problem.
Just out of curiosity, if not called a science, what should they be called instead?