John Brekke challenges the field and profession of social work to define and develop the "science of social work". This response to Brekke's paper identifies the premises undergirding a discussion of the science of social work related to (1) a definition of "science";; (2 ) an organizing principle for social work; (3) a recognition that the task is a dynamic and evolving one; and, (4) an understanding that the science of social work is a reflection on what we study and how we study it. The paper identifies a tripartite conceptual framework to guide the discussion of the science of social work, one that focuses on semantics, syntactics, and pragmatics. The paper asserts that critical reflection on the science of social work, disciplined by a framework such as the one proposed, is needed to advance the science of social work.