IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE TO MODERATE SCIENTISM?

• Authors: Makuła Szymon
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This paper’s primary purpose is to show that there is a peculiar alternative to scientism whose central thesis is not about sources of knowledge or the existence of various objects, but it aims at setting out a strategy to help decide which of the two mutually exclusive beliefs is the better one to adopt. Scientophilia, to coin a term, recommends preferring, without any discussion, a position consistent with the consensus of credible and reliable experts in a given domain. In case there is no such agreement, mainly because peers disagree with each other or experts are difficult to identify, it is recommended for a scientophile to suspend judgment. Scientophilia is not a position on science or human knowledge boundaries, but it deals with the practical side of belief change. Verdicts made by this approach are partially similar to those offered by mild scientism, as scientophilia puts scientific knowledge as one of the most reliable sources. However, it is also consistent with mild antiscientism, as in some particular cases (for example, Moorean truths), it assigns reliable expertise to non-scientific experts. Therefore it is a third way.

Keywords

EN

ANTISCIENTISM; SCIENTISM; SCIENTOPHILIA

• Publisher: Institute of Philosophy of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and Institute of Philosophy of Academy of Sciences of Czech Republic
• Journal: Organon F. medzinárodný časopis pre analytickú filozofiu
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 128 - 164

Contributors

author

Makuła Szymon

• University of Silesia, Bankowa 11, 40-007 Katowice, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6421-2748

Identifiers

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31577/orgf.2022.29106