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How good is science as a religion?

PureX

Veteran Member
While you're at it, how good is capitalism as a moral system?
Science is not a religion, and capitalism is amoral. However, there are people that worship science as the source of all knowledge, and there are others that believe capitalism is the solution to all society's ills.

Of course they are wrong on both counts.
 

stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
While you're at it, how good is capitalism as a moral system?
How good is science as a religion?

Not good at all
Lacking the essence
Science needs Spirituality

Science knows hydrogen and oxygen
BUT...Who created hydrogen and oxygen?
Water is the effect, hydrogen and oxygen are the causes
Nothing can exist without a cause. The effect gradually changes.
That which changes is science. The changeless cause is spirituality.
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
How good are ears as eyes?
How good is earth as fire?
How good is up as left?
How good are meaningless questions?
 

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Scientism absolutely exists and is adhered to by many self identified skeptics who overestimate the utility of science and empiricism as the only or best way to accrue knowledge in every aspect of life. Or by people who tout said importance of science but don't actually keep up with it, so instead nurture traditionalist views that have been long debunked while being 'more intelligent than thou.' (For example people who fly off the handle when someone calls humans monkeys.)

However, this philosophical dead end doesn't meet the criteria of being a religion. And I think the tendency to conflate 'passion' with 'religion' does a discredit to religion, watering down the term to meaninglessness.
 

Jose Fly

Fisker of men
Scientism absolutely exists and is adhered to by many self identified skeptics who overestimate the utility of science and empiricism as the only or best way to accrue knowledge in every aspect of life.
It's funny....in my 20+ years of working in science, discussing science with the public, and debating science with various groups, I've not once come across anyone who holds that view.

For a viewpoint that's allegedly common, it sure is hard for me to find anyone who adheres to it. I guess I need to get out more? :shrug:
 

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
It's funny....in my 20+ years of working in science, discussing science with the public, and debating science with various groups, I've not once come across anyone who holds that view.

For a viewpoint that's allegedly common, it sure is hard for me to find anyone who adheres to it. I guess I need to get out more? :shrug:
You don't usually come across it within the academic sphere because academics are taught to be highly suspicious of claims and conclusions (at least I was) and to recognize gaps in utility like social sciences or where falsification isn't possible.

Honestly where you see scientism the most is in 'skeptical' communities.
 

Jose Fly

Fisker of men
You don't usually come across it within the academic sphere because academics are taught to be highly suspicious of claims and conclusions (at least I was) and to recognize gaps in utility like social sciences or where falsification isn't possible.

Honestly where you see scientism the most is in 'skeptical' communities.
Do you have examples? I'm really curious about these people.
 

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
Scientism absolutely exists and is adhered to by many self identified skeptics who overestimate the utility of science and empiricism as the only or best way to accrue knowledge in every aspect of life.
As a scientist now retired, no serious scientist would ever make such a claim as that's the polar opposite of the paradigm we use. This is why we much prefer to avoid using words like "proof" and even "fact", thus much more likely to use a term like "evidence".
 

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Do you have examples? I'm really curious about these people.
Well, the one I gave in my original post was about people who in the year of our lord 2022 (joke) still argue with creationists about calling humans monkeys. Excepting the few who saw that AronRa video way back in like 2009, they're mostly using this faux taxonomy they're convinced is 'settled science,' and tend to think a lot of their traditionally held 'coming of agethism' (joke) views are settled science.
So they have this misplaced reverence for out of date ideas because it has significance to their debate, not significance to academics at large.

In the academic world the closest to scientism I see is when people who are in 'pure' science majors or fields denigrate the utility of 'soft' sciences, like things outside hard empiricism can't have said utility.
 
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