Scientism

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The term scientism is used to describe the view that natural science has authority over all other interpretations of life, such as philosophical, religious, mythical, spiritual, or humanistic explanations, and over other fields of inquiry, such as the social sciences. The term is almost exclusively used in a pejorative context, most commonly in christian apologetics[1], but also by social scientists like Hayek[2] or Popper to describe what they see as the underlying attitudes and beliefs common to many scientists. They tend to use the term in either of two equally pejorative[3][4] directions:

  1. To indicate the improper usage of science or scientific claims.[5] as a counter-argument to appeals to scientific authority in contexts where science might not apply,[6] such as when the topic is perceived to be beyond the scope of scientific inquiry.
  2. To refer to "the belief that the methods of natural science, or the categories and things recognized in natural science, form the only proper elements in any philosophical or other inquiry,"[4] with a concomitant "elimination of the psychological dimensions of experience".[7][8] It thus expresses a position critical of (at least the more extreme expressions of) positivism.[9][10] (Compare: scientific imperialism.[11])

Contents

[edit] Overview

Reviewing the references to scientism in the works of contemporary scholars, Gregory R. Peterson[12] detects two main broad themes:

  1. It is used to criticize a totalizing view of science as if it were capable of describing all reality and knowledge, or as if it were the only true way to acquire knowledge about reality and the nature of things;
  2. It is used to denote a border-crossing violation in which the theories and methods of one (scientific) discipline are inappropriately applied to another (scientific or non-scientific) discipline and its domain. Examples of this second usage is to label as scientism any attempt to claim science as the only or primary source of human values (a traditional domain of ethics), or as the source of meaning and purpose (a traditional domain of religion and related worldviews).

According to Mikael Stenmark in the Encyclopedia of science and religion,[13] while the doctrines that are described as scientism have many possible forms and varying degrees of ambition, they share the idea that the boundaries of science (that is, typically the natural sciences) could and should be expanded so that something that has not been previously considered as a subject pertinent to science can now be understood as part of science (usually with science becoming the sole or the main arbiter regarding this area or dimension). In its most extreme form, scientism is the faith that science has no boundaries, that in due time all human problems and all aspects of human endeavor will be dealt and solved by science alone. This idea is also called the Myth of Progress.[14] Stenmark proposes the expression scientific expansionism as a synonym of scientism. E. F. Schumacher critiqued this form of scientism as an impoverished world view that not only leaves unanswered, but denies the validity of all questions of fundamental importance to human existence.[15]

[edit] Relevance to the science and religion debate

Gregory R. Peterson remarks that "for many theologians and philosophers, scientism is among the greatest of intellectual sins".[12] In fact, today the term is often used against vocal critics of religion-as-such.[16] For instance, the philosopher of science Daniel Dennett responded to criticism of his book Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by saying that "when someone puts forward a scientific theory that [religious critics] really don't like, they just try to discredit it as 'scientism'".[17] Meanwhile, in an essay that emphasizes parallels between scientism and traditional religious movements, The Skeptics Society founder Michael Shermer self-identifies as "scientistic" and defines the term as "a scientific worldview that encompasses natural explanations for all phenomena, eschews supernatural and paranormal speculations, and embraces empiricism and reason as the twin pillars of a philosophy of life appropriate for an Age of Science."[18]

[edit] Range of meanings

Standard dictionary definitions include the following applications of the term "scientism":

  • The use of the style, assumptions, techniques, and other attributes typically displayed by scientists.[19]
  • Methods and attitudes typical of or attributed to the natural scientist.[20]
  • An exaggerated trust in the efficacy of the methods of natural science applied to all areas of investigation, as in philosophy, the social sciences, and the humanities.[21]
  • The use of scientific or pseudoscientific language.[22]
  • The contention that the social sciences should be held to the somewhat stricter interpretation of scientific method used by the natural sciences.[23]
  • The belief that some or all of the social sciences, such as economics and sociology, are not sciences (or not solely engaged in science) because they commonly do not hold to the somewhat stricter interpretation of scientific method used by the natural sciences.[24]
  • The belief that scientific knowledge is the foundation of all knowledge and that, consequently, scientific argument should always be weighted more heavily than other forms of knowledge, particularly those which are not yet well described or justified from within the rational framework, or whose description fails to present itself in the course of a debate against a scientific argument. It can be contrasted by doctrines like historicism, which hold that there are certain "unknowable" truths.[25] (this reference is no longer states this).
  • As a form of dogma: "In essence, scientism sees science as the absolute and only justifiable access to the truth."[26]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://sntjohnny.com/front/tag/scientism
  2. ^ Hayek in "The Counter Revolution Of Science: Studies on the Abuse of Reason", Publisher: Liberty Fund Inc. (June 1, 1980), ISBN 0913966665
  3. ^ Scientism: "an exaggerated trust in the efficacy of the methods of natural science applied to all areas of investigation (as in philosophy, the social sciences, and the humanities)" definition from: Ryder, Martin. "Scientism." Encyclopedia of Science Technology and Ethics. 3rd ed. Detroit: MacMillan Reference Books, 2005.
  4. ^ a b Scientism: "Pejorative term for the belief that the methods of natural science, or the categories and things recognized in natural science, form the only proper elements in any philosophical or other inquiry. The classic statement of scientism is the physicist E. Rutherford's saying 'there is physics and there is stamp-collecting.'", definition from The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. n.d.
  5. ^ After reviewing the usage of the term by contemporary scholars, Gregory R Peterson concludes that "the best way to understand the charge of scientism is as a kind of logical fallacy involving improper usage of science or scientific claims." (p.753). From: "Peterson, Gregory R. (2003) Demarcation and the Scientistic Fallacy. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 38 (4), 751-761. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.2003.00536.x"
  6. ^ Scientism by Martin Ryder - University of Colorado. (Accessed: July 05 2007)
  7. ^ Robert Bannister, "Behaviorism, Scientism and the Rise of The "Expert"
  8. ^ Haack, Susan, (2003). Defending Science Within Reason: Between Scientism and Cynicism. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books
  9. ^ Rey, Abel. "Review of La Philosophie Moderne." The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods 6.2 (1909): 51-53.
  10. ^ cf. Abraham Maslow: "There are criticisms of orthodox, 19th Century scientism and I intend to continue with this enterprise." Toward a Psychology of Being, Preface to 1st edition
  11. ^ For an example see Zwartz, Barney; "Let's have a proper scientific debate", The Age, 18 August, 2005
  12. ^ a b "Peterson, Gregory R. (2003) Demarcation and the Scientistic Fallacy. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 38 (4), 751-761. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.2003.00536.x"
  13. ^ As described by Mikael Stenmark, author of the article about the topic of Scientism in: J. Wentzel Vrede van Huyssteen (editor). Encyclopedia of science and religion, 2nd ed. Thomson Gale. 2003. (p.783)
  14. ^ G. Monastra, M. M. Zarandi, Science and the Myth of Progress, 2004.
  15. ^ E. F. Schumacher, Guide for the Perplexed, ISBN 0060906111, p. 4
  16. ^ Robinson, Marilynne. "Hysterical Scientism: The Ecstasy of Richard Dawkins."Harper's Magazine Nov. 2006.
  17. ^ Byrnes, Sholto. "'When it comes to facts, and explanations of facts, science is the only game in town'" New Statesman 10 Apr. 2006.
  18. ^ Shermer, Michael. "The Shamans of Scientism." Scientific American June 2002.
  19. ^ Random House Dictionary of the English Language. 1987.
  20. ^ Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. 1983.
  21. ^ Webster. 1983.
  22. ^ Webster. 1983. Definition #3 for Scientism.
  23. ^ Webster. 1983. Definition #2 for Scientism.
  24. ^ Webster. 1983. Definition #2 for Scientism.
  25. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. Bartleby.com
  26. ^ "Scientism" - PBS.org. Faith and Reason.

[edit] See also

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