Hmm …

… There Is No Theory of Everything - The New York Times. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

This is the risk of what some call “scientism” — the belief that natural science can explain everything, right down to the detail of our subjective and social lives. All we need is a better form of science, a more complete theory, a theory of everything. Lord knows, there are even Oscar-winning Hollywood movies made about this topic. Frank’s point, which is still hugely important, is that there is no theory of everything, nor should there be. There is a gap between nature and society. The mistake, for which scientism is the name, is the belief that this gap can or should be filled. 

One huge problem with scientism is that it invites, as an almost allergic reaction, the total rejection of science. As we know to our cost, we witness this every day with climate change deniers, flat-earthers and religious fundamentalists. This is what is called obscurantism, namely that the way things are is not explained by science, but with reference to occult forces like God, all-conquering Zeus, the benign earth goddess or fairies at the bottom of my garden. Now, in order to confront the challenge of obscurantism, we do not simply need to run into the arms of scientism. 

Well, this is bizarre — scientism vs. obscurantism. First of all, the only people who deny climate change are those who do not know what climate is. Climate is characterized by a non-linear dynamic best understood in terms of chaos theory. Climate, in other words, is an ever-changing process. So one should be careful in predicting the direction its change is taking, especially since what we know abut climate is vastly less than what we don't know.

Scientism is a corruption of science. You shouldn't corrupt science by making claims for it that it is not designed to address, such as whether there is a God. As for obscurantism, it can hardly be equated with religious faith. Otherwise, how do you explain how "obscurantists" like Gregor Mendel and Georges Lemaitre — both devout Catholics — managed to make important scientific discoveries?

Want some real contraries? Try scientism vs. science and faith vs. fanaticism.