“The Folly of Scientism” Article Precis One popular group today that attempts to challenge philosophy and religion is called scientism. Unfortunately, these scientists have warped the definition of science to fit their own definition, by defining science on its institutions, regardless if these institutions are reliable or not (Hughes, 2012). However, defining science based on institutions is extremely dangerous, since this assumes that these people and institutions are immune to selfishness and error (Hughes, 2012). By defining science in this manner, scientists fail to rely on empirical and rational standards to support their research (Hughes, 2012). In addition to redefining science, scientism holds that the natural world holds the keys to truth. Scientism is not the only key for discovering truth (even though truth can exist within science), because there are many objections to scientism from within philosophy and the nature of the universe. …show more content…
According to many scientists, the universe came into being by an event known as the “Big Bang.” However, the main objection occurs when scientists fail to answer the question of why the universe even exists, nonetheless of why the universe is perfectly tuned to support life (Hughes, 2012). According to Hughes, the main fault in the scientists’ logic is that they cannot seem to differentiate between a contingent being (one who may or may not exist and has variable characteristics) and necessary being (one who must exist and have clearly definable characteristics) (Hughes, 2012). A necessary being is critical to the existence of the universe, as it would offer a viable explanation for why the universe exists