Scientism is a belief system or worldview that excessively relies on or elevates the methods and findings of natural science as the most authoritative means of understanding reality and solving problems. It extends beyond the legitimate application of scientific inquiry into areas that may not be appropriately within the domain of science.
Key characteristics of scientism include:
- Exaggerated Scope of Science: Scientism asserts that the scientific method and empirical evidence are the only valid or significant sources of knowledge, often dismissing other forms of inquiry or knowledge acquisition.
- Reductionist Perspective: Scientism tends to reduce complex phenomena to scientific explanations, even when these phenomena may involve aspects of human experience, values, ethics, or metaphysics that go beyond scientific analysis.
- Methodological Overreach: It applies scientific methodologies to domains traditionally outside the scope of science, such as philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, and theology, often implying that these fields should conform to scientific standards.
- Dismissal of Non-Scientific Knowledge: Scientism may disregard or downplay the insights and methodologies of disciplines like philosophy, history, art, and theology, viewing them as inferior or irrelevant compared to scientific knowledge.
- Epistemological Bias: It exhibits a bias towards empirical evidence and measurable phenomena, potentially excluding or devaluing forms of knowledge that are subjective, experiential, or based on non-empirical reasoning.
Critics of scientism argue that while science is a powerful and valuable method for understanding the natural world, it should be complemented by other forms of inquiry and knowledge. They caution against reducing all aspects of human experience to scientific terms and advocate for a more inclusive approach to understanding reality that respects the strengths and limitations of different disciplines.