Reply #89: Scientism

[indigobusiness]

Scientism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The term scientism is a relatively newly coined word that refers to certain epistemologies based on science. The word has several different meanings:

Scientism usually means the acceptance of scientific theory and scientific methods as applicable in all fields of inquiry about the world, including morality, ethics, art, and religion.
Here, science is held to be the ultimate recourse in questions of public policy and even religion.
This viewpoint is typified by comments, such as "Science demonstrates that it is useless (or useful) to use seatbelts in cars" or "Science has shown that religion is wrong" or "Science shows that capitalism (or communism or socialism) is correct". In the case of such views as Marxism (and most types of totalitarian rationales) such views are also called historicism, relying on a "scientific" analysis of inevitable historical patterns.

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Finally, scientism can also refer to the attitude and method of the typical natural scientist. (Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. (http://www.bartleby.com/61/75/S0147500.html))
This viewpoint is typified by comments, such as "there is one and only one method of science" or "there is one and only one way to conduct valid scientific research" as well as by attempts to limit intellectual debate to the hegemony of the established position of the scientific community. Medical scientism defines the term scientism in this sense of how valid medical research is supposed to be conducted.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientism