The term scientism can be used as a neutral term 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. In Science, the term natural science refers to a naturalistic approach to the study of the Universe, which is understood as obeying rules or law of Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos See also Mythology Myth is derived from the Greek word μύθος mythos, which simply means 'story' Spirituality, in a narrow sense concerns itself with matters of the Spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and Faith, a transcendent reality Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including Anthropology, Communication studies It also can imply a criticism of a perceived misapplication or misuse of the authority of science in either of two directions:

1. The term is often used as a pejorative^[1][2] to indicate the improper usage of science or scientific claims. Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding ^[3] In this sense, the charge of scientism often is used as a counter-argument to appeals to scientific authority in contexts where science might not apply,^[4] such as when the topic is perceived to be beyond the scope of scientific inquiry. Scientific method refers to bodies of Techniques for investigating phenomena
2. The term is also used to pejoratively 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,"^[2] with a concomitant "elimination of the psychological dimensions of experience". ^[5][6] It thus expresses a position critical of (at least the more extreme expressions of) positivism. Positivism is the Philosophy that the only authentic knowledge is knowledge that is based on actual sense experience ^[7][8] (Compare: scientific imperialism. Scientific imperialism is a term that appears to have been coined by Dr Ellis T Powell when addressing the Commonwealth Club of Canada on 8 September 1920 ^[9])

Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Relevance to the science and religion debate 2 Range of meanings 3 References 4 See also

Overview

Reviewing the references to scientism in the works of contemporary scholars, Gregory R. Peterson^[10] 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. Gregory R Peterson is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at South Dakota State University. Reality, in everyday usage means "the state of things as they actually exist" Knowledge is defined ( Oxford English Dictionary) variously as (i expertise and skills acquired by a person through experience or education the theoretical or practical understanding Examples of this second usage is to label as scientism the attempts 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). Ethics is a major branch of Philosophy, encompassing right conduct and good life Purpose is the Cognitive Awareness in Cause and effect linking for achieving a Goal in a given System, whether A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos A comprehensive world view (or worldview) is a term Calqued from the German word Weltanschauung ( Welt is the German

According to Mikael Stenmark in the Encyclopedia of science and religion,^[11] 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). Mikael Stenmark is Head of Department and Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Department of Theology Uppsala University, Sweden. Doctrine (Latin doctrina) is a codification of beliefs or "a body of teachings quot or "instructions" taught principles or positions as the 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. Faith is a Belief in the trustworthiness of an Idea. Formal usage of the word "faith" is usually reserved for concepts of Religion, as in Stenmark proposes the expression scientific expansionism as a synonym of scientism.

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". ^[10] In fact, today the term is often used against vocal critics of religion-as-such. ^[12] 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'". Daniel Clement Dennett (born March 28 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a prominent American philosopher whose research Breaking the Spell Religion as a Natural Phenomenon is a 2006 book by the American Philosopher Daniel Dennett, which argues ^[13] 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. The Skeptics Society is a Nonprofit, member-supported organization devoted to promoting Scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of Pseudoscience Michael Brand Shermer (born September 8, 1954 in Glendale California) is an American science writer historian of science founder of The Skeptics The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events Paranormal is an Umbrella term used to describe unusual Phenomena or experiences that lack an obvious Scientific explanation Reason involves the ability to think understand and draw Conclusions in an Abstract way as in Human thinking "^[14]

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. ^[15]
• Methods and attitudes typical of or attributed to the natural scientist. ^[16]
• 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. Trust is a relationship of reliance A trusted party is presumed to seek to fulfill policies, ethical codes Law and their previous promises ^[17]
• The use of scientific or pseudoscientific language. "^[18]
• The contention that the social sciences should be held to the somewhat stricter interpretation of scientific method used by the natural sciences. The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including Anthropology, Communication studies Scientific method refers to bodies of Techniques for investigating phenomena In Science, the term natural science refers to a naturalistic approach to the study of the Universe, which is understood as obeying rules or law of ^[19]
• 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. Scientific method refers to bodies of Techniques for investigating phenomena ^[20]
• 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. Historicism refers to philosophical theories that include one or both of two claims that there is an organic succession of developments a notion also ^[21] (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. Dogma (the plural is either dogmata or dogmas, Greek, plural) is the established Belief or "^[22]

References

See also

Antiscience Antireductionism Conflict thesis Evolutionism Mary Midgley Obscurantism Panglossianism Philosophy of science

Positivism Pseudoscience Pseudoskepticism Scientistic materialism Technologism Techno-utopianism World view

Antiscience is a position critical of Science and the Scientific method. Antireductionism is a reaction against Reductionism, which instead advocates Holism. Conflict thesis is the theoretical premise of an intrinsic conflict between Science and Religion. In the Creation-evolution controversy, those who accept the Scientific theory of biological Evolution by Natural selection or Genetic drift are Mary Midgley, née Scrutton (born September 13, 1919) is an English moral philosopher. Obscurantism (from the Latin obscurans, "darkening" is the practice of deliberately preventing the facts or full details of something from becoming known Philosophy of science is the study of assumptions foundations and implications of Science. Positivism is the Philosophy that the only authentic knowledge is knowledge that is based on actual sense experience Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the Scientistic materialism is a philosophical stance which posits a limited definition of Consciousness to that which is observable and subject to the Scientific method Techno-utopianism or technoutopianism refers to any Ideology based on the belief that advanced Science and technology will eventually bring about an Techno-utopianism or technoutopianism refers to any Ideology based on the belief that advanced Science and technology will eventually bring about an A comprehensive world view (or worldview) is a term Calqued from the German word Weltanschauung ( Welt is the German

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic