Scientism

Scientism (Latin scientia, 'knowledge', 'science' ), also Szientizismus or scientism, is one of the French biologist Félix le Dantec ( 1869-1917 ) originally used affirmatively, so approvingly intentioned term for the view that scientific methods can answer all reasonable questions. The scientism starts from a positivist understanding of these methods and is therefore often with positivism or with an extreme attitude of positivism equated .. statements which can not be justified by scientific methods, such as in the areas of religion and metaphysics are meaningless for the scientism or talk about non-existent things.

In addition, scientism relates to the requirement for an application of scientific methods for practices in almost all areas of society, especially politics. Scientism is therefore of the opinion that it was not something outside of the domain of science still is one domain of human activity, could not be applied successfully to which scientific knowledge. Soon after the new coinage of the term but this proposal was increasingly used pejoratively, notably because of scientism was regarded as a special form of reductionism and considered to be constricted worldview. This critique of scientism has been interpreted by others as an attempt to turn immunization against scientific criticism. Joseph A. Schumpeter considers the transfer of methods of mathematical physics to economics to be harmless, so essential by anything physical will carried into the economy.

The scientism occurs mainly in the form of physicalism and Biologism. Other forms of reductionism would be about psychologism, sociologism or economism.

Examples

According to the biologist Ulrich Kutschera view build on the work of scientists " ultimately our entire reliable, technologically exploitable knowledge base " on. In contrast, what he calls the "verbal Science " titled Spiritual Science would only produce " tertiary literature." In a rejoinder to critics Kutschera points out that thinking " a biological process and the understanding of its products so matter of biology " is. . In a book published Kutschera repeated his scientistic theses again: "In the real sciences, there is ... a demonstrable progress in knowledge, which is based on objective data and facts and the ... theorizing the contrary, be many ' scholars ' only subjective speculations. itself, which not infrequently the factual basis is missing. ".

An " artistic" point of entry, which is also influenced by traditional experience stocks, tacit knowledge and empathy is invoked for the midwives art since the late 1960s. This one understood as scientistic, exclusive commitment to scientific methods is disputed.

Furthermore, the Intelligent Design movement is cited as an example of an anti- scientistic movement.

Critical positions

Hegel

The first criticism of this understanding of science began in the German idealism and Hegel. Hegel turns here to the work developed in the "Critique of Pure Reason " Kant objectivity concept with its transcendental and präsuppositionslogischen ( be built on premises ) Justification. Hegel sees this as a true anti- dogmatic ( non- materialistic and non- metaphysical ), but physicalist, "mechanical" concept of objectivity.

Hegel makes this experience a logical reflection of what there is and what there is to explain contrary. He thus gives the Aristotelian ontology and natural history of one of these self -border, " transcendent " other direction. Before any genetically derived or causal explanation ( " where does something ?") Is the shape determination of what there is to explain. There are, for Hegel, as many forms as there are similarities, which in turn always refer to as non distinctions on a relevance (or meaning ) and context of communication. So empiricism can entsubjektiviert and transzendentalanalytische program Kant are deformalized. By Hegel's recourse to a newly placed " historia " the forms of nature and culture of the experience, reference is introduced as the main basis for objectivity. Hence only the insight developed in a methodical order in a complex structure of science and language. The fact layered presuppositions can not be simply due to the "Results" " refute " the higher, explicative and explanatory levels. Hegel argued this in the "logic" from top to bottom, not constructive but präsuppositionsanalytisch ( the conditions in seeking). In this way, the insinuations of the various Truth, object and objectivity terms are made ​​clear in detail.

His result is: No transcendental deduction of causality in a theory of experience the object and certainly no causal explanatory theory can provide objectivity of life, action and judgment into question the " empraktische ". In this way, Hegel, Fichte can justify insight and demand in the primacy of the traditional forms of action and knowledge before any claim to objectivity of an explanatory science systematically. Any physical ( " mechanical " or " chemical " ) statement is seen as embedded in the context of instrumental action and interest in conditional forecasts.

This is the pragmatic side of German Idealism, which is to be found in Martin Heidegger in his existential philosophy. Hegel's philosophy because of their principled limitation of knowledge and explanation claims was not only directed against a scientistic cosmology, but also for the various empirical sciences, as well as the belief in progress of the later 19th century and for the confidence of the scientific enlightenment of the 20th a stone of contention.

Stekeler - Weithofer said: " She was placed under the rule of the usher claim and fails to recognize their" speculative " effort to topographic or logical overview. It is in this dispute but less to Hegel than to the concept of critical philosophy. Because one can never be this: maid of a theological or scientistic cosmology or belief ".

Friedrich A. von Hayek

In the context of his idea that the " competition as a discovery procedure " a more appropriate description of the market offer than the neoclassical equilibrium models of the economy, has been criticized as scientism Friedrich August von Hayek inspired by the natural sciences social science methods. For sciences that deal with complex biological, mental and social phenomena, encounters a physikalistisches model in terms of its explanatory and predictive capabilities to inherent limitations.

Karl Popper

According to Karl Popper, the hazards of scientism is its misunderstanding of the scientific method. The scientism is therefore assumed that science is characterized by the use of an inductive method, and that such a method must also apply mutatis mutandis in other areas. According to Popper, there is no inductive method, and it can not therefore be the method of the natural sciences. In his critical rationalism, he argues that it is quite correct to start from a unit method, but in the form of a Falsifikationsprinzips, based on the active change of the research subject in the experiment in order to solve problems and not, as in the scientistic notion form of passive observation.

Hermeneutics and discourse ethics

While Popper's criticism turned against a particular, positivist understanding of scientific methods, in turn, was made ​​to him in the social scientific methods of armed representatives of the Critical Theory of the Frankfurt School, the accusation of " positivism ". This methodological dispute is ultimately the difference between Methodenmonismus, ie an application of scientific methods in the humanities and social sciences, and methods dualism. The orientation is criticized in the natural sciences on the basis of a hermeneutic science understanding, taking recourse to Wilhelm Dilthey's distinction between explanatory and interpretive approaches in science. Also Jürgen Habermas ' critique of Szientizismus in " Knowledge and Human Interests " is influenced by, among other things, on this tradition. In addition, however, Habermas also takes up the introduced into the philosophy of the phenomenologist Edmund Husserl concept of life- world, which was the basis for a critique of the positive sciences also in Husserl.

Karl- Otto Apel criticized examples Skinner's behaviorism and " some sociological " systems theorists " " (referring to Luhmann). For him, the scientism falls short because it naturally A Szientist as " Skinner is not able to answer the question of who the conditioner " its own conditions of possibility no longer considering. " - So the scientists - conditioned (? Responsible ) (or should condition )? " Apel sees a way out of the impasse scientistic only in a final justification, because all geared to practice concepts must logically in a subjectivism and thus in a ethic that sees reason in Kant laid Apel, end. "If you can show that even the logical reasoning (and therefore science ) as a condition of their possibility presupposes an intersubjectively valid ethics, then you are able to pick up the scientistic blocking the ethical rationality in rational -mandatory form and one for all argumentation willing indisputable principle of ethics specify. " This looks Apel in the mutual recognition in an ideal communication community.