Software engineering is software engineering, but the process of creating software may often be more gardening than engineering.

I mean, what is it about haphazardly trying out an approach you read about on a random blog written by someone who has a different problem to solve than you says engineering? In my world engineering implies rigour, adherence to the data, etc.

There can be engineering in software. There can be science in software. But I'm not sure that means software work is categorically either engineering or science. I expect you will find that there is a lot of fad chasing and leaps of faith in hopes of stumbling upon something that will yield.

To the specific topic of conversation, where do you find the science or engineering, and not just people throwing shit in their plot and seeing what grows?