I think it's particularly a distinctively American concept that resonates with American culture through biker culture. A motorcycle is an independent thing. You're like 'I don't want to ride in a car with this person. I want to be independent and ride by myself. But let's ride in a group. Let's be independent together.'
Science is defined in various ways but today it is generally restricted to something which is experimental which is repeatable which can be predicted and which is falsifiable.