The neutrality and factual accuracy of this article are disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.

Scientism is a term mainly used as a pejorative^[1][2][3] to accuse someone of holding that science has primacy over all other interpretations of life such as religious, mythical, spiritual, or humanistic explanations. It has also been applied to the view that natural sciences have primacy over other fields of inquiry such as social sciences. Today, the term is often used by religious critics of evolution via natural selection^[3] and also against the most vocal critics of religion-as-such.^[4] In contrast with this was its usage in the early 20th century, which was as a descriptive and roughly synonymous with logical positivism.^[5] Contemporary descriptive usage of the term is limited but found in some places. The Skeptics Society founder Michael Shermer, for example, self-identifies as scientistic and defines scientism as "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."^[6] Image File history File links Circle-question-red. ... Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... A word or phrase is pejorative if it implies contempt or disapproval. ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ... This article is about a system of myths. ... Look up spiritual in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The term natural science as the way in which different fields of study are defined is determined as much by historical convention as by the present day meaning of the words. ... The social sciences are groups of academic disciplines that study the human aspects of the world. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ... The Galápagos Islands hold 13 species of finches that are closely related and differ most markedly in the shape of their beaks. ... Logical positivism (later referred to as logical empiricism, rational empiricism, or neo-positivism) is a school of philosophy that combines positivism—which states that the only authentic knowledge is scientific knowledge—with a version of apriorism—the notion that some propositional knowledge can be had without, or prior to, experience. ... The Skeptics Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. ... Michael Shermer Michael Shermer Ph. ...

References

1. ^ Ryder, Martin. "Scientism." Encyclopedia of Science Technology and Ethics. 3rd ed. Detroit: MacMillan Reference Books, 2005.
2. ^ "scientism." The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. n.d.
3. ^ ^{a b} Byrnes, Sholto. "'When it comes to facts, and explanations of facts, science is the only game in town'" New Statesman 10 Apr. 2006.
4. ^ Robinson, Marilynne. "Hysterical Scientism: The Ecstasy of Richard Dawkins." Harper's Magazine Nov. 2006.
5. ^ Rey, Abel. "Review of La Philosophie Moderne." The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods 6.2 (1909): 51-53.
6. ^ Shermer, Michael. "The Shamans of Scientism." Scientific American June 2002.

The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy is a dictionary of philosophical terms published by Oxford University Press and edited by Simon Blackburn. ... Scientific American is a popular-science magazine, published (first weekly and later monthly) since August 28, 1845, making it the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States. ...

See also

Philosophy Portal