Scientism

A few weeks ago, a group of scientists, theologians, and philosophers got together to discuss whether science had rendered belief in God obsolete. The John Templeton Foundation took their various opinions and made them available to read online.

Some of these are quite fascinating. Mary Midgley in particular has some interesting views on the subject. She says belief is not obsolete, and declares the “war” between Science and religion simply a conflict between two ways of looking at the world.

“What is now seen as a universal cold war between science and religion is, I think, really a more local clash between a particular scientistic worldview, much favored recently in the west, and most other people’s worldviews at most other times.”

She goes on to describe Scientism as a worldview that cuts reality off from any sort of context and that claims to have a complete monopoly of meaning, making it similar to religion, which causes the conflict. Science began differently, appealing to order and predictability in the Universe supplied by God. However, as time went on science began to demand its own definition of proof so exclusively that it became merely a system of facts that can never be proven, but rather remain true as long as they are not disproved.

Today, the scientific worldview is no more provable than religious beliefs held by faith. They are simply accepted, usually in reaction to the other worldviews that have dominated the vast majority of humanity for the vast majority of its existence.

In essence, belief in science is no more “scientific” than faith.