Science Versus Scientism

This chapter lays out the foundations of modern science in Descartes, namely how the strive for objectivity requires disciplined scepticism as the method of science and at the same time implies that modern natural science can in principle not capture human thought and action. We explain how the success of modern science in improving human living conditions through technological engineering nevertheless leads to a hubris in the guise of scientism that takes science to be unlimited in its scope. In its political application, it conceives an art of social engineering that is supposed to morally improve human society. We show, however, how scientism destroys science. We retrace the history of science and scientism from Socrates and Plato to its current expression in the corona, the climate and the wokeness regimes, ushering in an epoch of actually existing postmodernism.