The outbreak of the 2019 coronavirus pandemic put science in the spotlight in a way that we had not seen for generations. Scientists were being wheeled out in front of cameras on a regular basis, to explain the rationale for decisions that would be of seismic importance for the future of people’s lives: will schools […]
Source: Scientism is a soothing but mind-numbing narcotic | MercatorNet
Opinion:
This is an above-average account of scientism—that is, weak or politicized science posing as good science. I should add that although the piece stresses the conflicts, inconsistencies and, to put it more forgivingly, ‘developments’ over COVID, the same discussion could apply to just about any aspect of science. Most people don’t realize that even physics depends on a model. A model made by human beings. And a model always subject to change…
This is basic sociology 101 stuff. But surprisingly, many in the world today are locked into this childish outlook when it comes to the topic of science. I had to combine both my RSS feeds (Feedly and Quite RSS) to find this story. It’s not like we hear about scientism every day. No, the media always talks about ‘the science,’ supporting my idea that science has gained the social legitimacy – unquestioned social legitimacy – that the Catholic Church once enjoyed so many years ago, and that any contemporary fundamentalist organization promotes within and often beyond its own flock of believers.
I wouldn’t really care too much but when it comes to my area of expertise, psychology and religion, I believe scientism can really harm some individuals or simply keep them in a holding pattern, preventing them from realizing their full potential.
And that is one of the biggest unreported stories of the 21st century.
Earthpages.org 