Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences 2 (2013 6) 163-170 ~ ~ ~ УДК 165.02 Scientism: a Cult of «a Chosen Scientist» Daniil V. Pivovarov* Ural Federal University named after B.N. Yeltsin 51 Lenina, Ekaterinburg, 620083 Russia Received 08.02.2013, received in revised form 15.02.2013, accepted 22.02.2013 The article discusses two themes: the first one is the concept of scientism as the specific form of scientific religiousness; the second one is a cult of a chosen scientist as a version of scientism. Usually scients allocate scientific geniuses with exclusively positive angelic properties, and ascients, on the contrary, find out in geniuses of any science only negative demonic features. The author puts forward a hypothesis, according to which the scientific genius in the maximal degree personifies a human nature, and this nature in an equal proportion is made by the beginnings of goods and harm, angelic and devil attributes. The given dialectic assumption is concretized in the text on an example of the analysis of the cult of Sir Isaac Newton. Keywords: sociocentric religion, monism and pluralism, scientism, ascientism, scient, ascient, cult of a chosen scientist. 1. Scientism scientism discredits the humanities poorly Scientism is 1) a cult of natural science; 2) using experiment and mathematical language; worship of its experimental and mathematical natural sciences also cultivate methodology of methods; 3) absolutization of the role of scientists empiricism, naturalism and antihistorisism. and scientific experts in a society, and also a cult Since the 30-es of the 19th century scientism of selected scientists-geniuses; 4) a belief that all gets into sociology through O. Kont’s positivism. making sense problems are scientifically soluble. Attempts to build sociology on the sample of This cult develops in Western Europe from mechanics (G. Cary, A.Z. Kettle, D.S. Mill), or the 16th century, reaches apogee in the interval biology (G. Spenser, E. Dyurkgejm, V. Pareto) between the mid-19th century and the mid-20th are undertaken. The Christian idea of a person century (in particular during the well-known as an image and similarity of God has originally epoch of scientific and technical revolution), and refracted in scientism: a person is a creator, it it starts to be discredited and weaken by the end “cannot wait for favors by nature” and its problem of the 20th century under an impact of realities of consists in alteration of the world to a measure life and in an antagonism with ascients. Scientism of the needs and desires. Scientism is one of is closely connected with technocratic thinking irrational effects of the developed Christian which roots are incorporated in F. Bacon’s “New culture that are ideologically turning around Organon”. Inside of “the temple of sciences” against the Christian doctrine in forms of atheism © Siberian Federal University. All rights reserved * Corresponding author E-mail address: [email protected] – 163 – Daniil V. Pivovarov. Scientism: a Cult of «a Chosen Scientist» and materialism. Scientism is one of sociocentric polar epistemic tendencies cooperate in past and religions of atheistic character. modern sciences in a changeable proportion – At the same time scientism having generated authoritative monism and anarchical pluralism. in a bosom of Christian monasteries and having Monism is interfaced today to the requirement left them, is not something absolutely new of globalization in development of sociocultural and not having analogues in pre-Christian environments, and pluralism is tied with history. Most likely, scientism is a flesh from a postmodernism opposing unifications of truth flesh of paganism – the updated form of pagan and social orders. magic, continuation of ancient magic tradition. Epistemic monism is anyhow associated with Scientism being born from “natural magic” keeps the belief in the fast “end of science”, namely, in with its internal ideological communication. The performance in each science of the project under carrier of scientific consciousness is a scientist the motto “The only one and unique True Theory”. (scient). A scient is a person sincerely believing For example, John Horgan, the known American in omnipotence of his science both feeding popularizator of science, assures that all basic sacred and enthusiastic feelings to scientists as scientific discoveries have already happened and attendants of “the temple of sciences”. During the the mankind needs further to adapt only, by means Soviet time our domestic Philosophy of Science of technology, the opened theoretical truths for was “the servant of science”, sang of successes practice (Horgan, 2001, 479). Earlier A. Bergson, of natural sciences and borrowed positions of R. Genon, M. Scheler, M. Heidegger, O. Spengler, scientism. Today it gets features of “sophical K.G. Jung and M. Eliade put forward this thesis criticism of science”. about a fast decline of science. The same thesis L.M. Lopatin, the widely known Russian was supported by some outstanding physicists: thinker, was right, when he called Philosophy S. Weinberg, A.S. Companeets, R.P. Feynman, to go “forward, from Immanuel Kant”. Lopatin S.W. Hawking, etc. Melancholy on authoritative considered that it is not necessary to trudge after monism is embodied in such forms of scientism, as positive sciences and to erect their generalization a cult of “a world leader in sciences” (for instance, up to Absolute; the critical Philosophy armed worship the mechanics in the 17-18 centuries), by principles of doubt, evidence and reasonable a cult of “an advanced scientific school” (for probability should advance sciences instead of example, reverence of T.D. Lysenko’s school in bowing to their authorities and traditions. For the USSR during the epoch of Stalinism), a cult example, it is not necessary to consider the law of of “scientist-coryphaeus” (let’s say, A. Einstein’s conservation of energy as “ontological truth” as cult today). this law is fair only for the physical phenomena, Authoritative epistemic monism is directed but it contradicts phenomena of mental self- on the statement ideological unity (total identical activity and, hence, it is not necessary for thinking, rallying together) among scientists, understanding of life as a whole. pupils, people and mankind as a whole. It is felt, first of all, in attempts to design a certain “uniform 2. Monism and pluralism scientific picture of the world” (SWP) and to impart in sciences it, in the beginning, to the scientific community, As well as everything, science is dialectically and then to all people. The quasi-religious world contradictional being simultaneously the identity outlook potential is given to SWP intentionally or of various and distinctions in identity. Two spontaneously; and SWP is sacralized originally. – 164 – Daniil V. Pivovarov. Scientism: a Cult of «a Chosen Scientist» Duty for scientists and general public to profess existentialism, personalism, etc.), an appreciable the official SWP is provided with corresponding part of scientists and scientists-humanists join to sociocultural institutes (ideological services of ascientism. An average ascient-scientist believes state machinery, church, party in power, school) that science, by its nature and essence, will exist and fixed in such word-combinations and phrases eternally (similarly to morals or art) and in the as: “the temple of science”, “science approves”, future this form of human spirit as a whole will “science learns”, “it contradicts science” and so remain former, as now. forth. Ascientism has a set of gradation, since Similar monism sometimes promotes radical condemnation secular (not monastic and strengthening and growth of science, and left from under authority of church) science as sometimes, on the contrary, it becomes the devil instigation and finishing the most liberal reactionary factor. For example, the majority ascientism that equalizes science in the rights with of historians of science approves that paradigm art, religion and other forms of public spirit and of mechanicism generated during the first rejects only an estimation of science as maximum scientific revolution (1543-1687) and legalized form of knowledge and wisdom. It rejects also by the Catholic Church has played basically a cults of scientists-geniuses and absolutization of progressive role in natural sciences in the 17-18 any scientific schools. Opposition of scientism centuries. However today many experts believe, and ascientism can be described in different that this paradigm that is still imposed totally aspects, including the aspect of special religious to scientists as the general scientific maxima opposition, namely as the conflict among pagan becomes outdated and even harmful. pantheism (together with its special magic humanism) and Christian monotheism. 3. Ascientism Horror stories about a decline of science The opposite tendency of gnoseological periodically revive and come to naught being anarchism (or epistemic pluralism) resists to hopes replaced with the slogan about omnipotence of of priests of “the temple of sciences” for approach scientific progress. Similar, for example, happens of a light era of “the unique True Theory”, under the influence of deep ideological crisis, discredits illusion of “the end of science”, and it which then was replaced by revolution in Physics undermines belief in a selected branch of science, in the beginning and the first half of the 20th chosen school, paradigm, or any person. As a