The struggle against scientism
Science is great at many things, but it is not the only path to enlightenment.
Written by Bo Winegard.
About scientism, I was wrong. I once praised the term, arguing that it should be embraced rather than derided. Science, I believed, was the only reliable path to knowledge, while all other approaches led only to fleeting insights, idle speculations, and futile debates. Consequently, I maintained that any discipline aiming at empirical knowledge—even history, sociology, and philosophy—should adopt the scientific method.
I did not dismiss art or literature, both of which I have always deeply admired. Yet I argued that expecting a poem or a painting to provide dependable empirical knowledge is as misguided as expecting a wall of limestone to engage in a dialogue about Socrates. It is a category mistake. Art is about experience, not knowledge.
