Scientism
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The neutrality of this article is disputed.

The term scientism is a relatively newly coined word that refers to certain epistemologies based on science. The word has several different meanings:

• Scientism is usually used to mean the acceptance of scientific theory and scientific methods as applicable in all fields of inquiry about the world, including morality, ethics, art, and religion.

Here, 'science' is held to be the ultimate recourse in questions of public policy and even religion.

This viewpoint is typified by comments, such as 'Science demonstrates that it is useless (or useful) to use seatbelts in cars' or 'Science has shown that religion is wrong' or 'Science shows that capitalism (or communism or socialism) is correct.' In the case of such views as Marxism (and most types of totalitarian rationales) such views are also called historicism, relying on a 'scientific' analysis of inevitable historical patterns.

• Scientism can be used to mean the acceptance of scientific theory and scientific methods as applicable in all fields of inquiry about the physical, natural world. This definition is functionally equivalent to scientific naturalism.

• Scientism can refer to humanism and enlightenment values informed by science. In this context, scientism is "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." (Source: Michael Shermer, The Shamans of Scientism, Scientific American, 2002)

• Finally, scientism can also refer to the attitude and method of the typical natural scientist. (Source: The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.)

This viewpoint is typified by comments, such as 'there is one and only one method of science' or 'there is one and only one way to conduct valid scientific research' as well as by attempts to limit intellectual debate to the hegemony of the established position of the scientific community. Medical Scientism defines the term scientism in this sense of how valid medical research is supposed to be conducted.

See also:

• Philosophy of science
• Scientific method
• Panglossianism

References

• Science, Scientism, and Anti-Science in the Age of Preposterism, Susan Haack, Skeptical Inquier Magazine, 1997.)
• Sandra Harding, "Who Knows? Identities and Feminist Epistemology," in Joan E. Hartman and Ellen Messer-Davidow, eds., (En)gendering Knowledge, University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, 1991, p. 109

External links

• Is Science Killing the soul? A discussion between Steven Pinker and Richard Dawkins
• Richard Dawkins essay: Is Science a Religion?

The original article can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientism.
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