Hadith "science" in a nutshell

A lot of hype is created about "hadith science" and lay people are discouraged from reading ahadith and acting upon them under the pretext that one can only start deriving Islamic laws directly from ahadith if one is proficient in "hadith sciences" and this can only be achieved by spending years in a hawza. So in the end, one is forced to refer to the professional clergy men. But is this really so? Is there even actually a thing called "hadith science"?

Let us see what Shaikh al Kulaini, the compiler of our foremost hadith book al Kafi and one of our greatest muhadith (compiler of ahadith) says in regards to the analysis of ahadith and whether he recommends any "hadith science" or not?

Preface of Kitab al Kafi

فاعلم يا أخي أرشدك الله أنه لا يسع أحدا " تمييز شئ مما اختلف الرواية فيه عن العلماء عليهم السلام برأيه، إلا على ما أطلقه العالم بقوله عليه السلام: " اعرضوها على كتاب الله فما وافى كتاب الله عزوجل فخذوه، وما خالف كتاب الله فردوه " و قوله عليه السلام: " دعوا ما وافق القوم فإن الرشد في خلافهم " وقوله عليه السلام " خذوا بالمجمع عليه، فإن المجمع عليه لا ريب فيه " ونحن لا نعرف من جميع ذلك إلا أقله  ولا نجد شيئا " أحوط ولا أوسع من رد علم ذلك كله إلى العالم عليه السلام وقبول ما وسع من الأمر فيه بقوله عليه السلام: " بأيما أخذتم من باب التسليم وسعكم

 

So know my brother, may Allah (swt) guide you, that one can not distinguish/recognize a thing from the differing narrations (ahadith) there in from the scholars [Imams] (as) with his opinion, except (instead) upon what the scholar [Imam(as)] has established by his (as) saying: "Compare them (ahadith) upon book of Allah (swt), so what is in accordance with book of Allah (swt) so take it, and what is against the book of Allah (swt) so return it." and his [Imam] (as)'s saying: "Let (aside) what is in accordance with the nation (i.e. the non shi'ite majority) for indeed the right is in (going) against them." and his [Imam] (as)'s saying: "Take by (follow) the consented upon (ahadith), for indeed the consented upon (ahadith) contain no doubt in it." And we do not know from that collection except few and we do not find anything better and not wider (easier) than to return all that is known to the scholar [Imam (as)] and accept what is wider (easy) from the command in it, (going) by [Imam] (as)'s saying: "Take (follow) you people by what is within the obedience and width (ease) for you people."