Is “Understanding” a misunderstanding?

Key factors that make a discipline or approach scientific are the ability to define unifying explanatory and/or predictive models and the ability to evaluate and compare the ideas within the area. In this short paper I'll try to defend the following thesis: in the “Science of Interoperability” evaluation and comparison is hindered by the lack of precise goal statements and of measures to assess the attainment of that goals, and this is at least in part related to models and theories that at present have the favour of the research community in formalizing the notion of understanding.