Lecture # 16. Trends of philosophy of XX century. Basic schools. Scientism and anti-scientism

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Lecture # 16

Trends of philosophy of XX century

Basic schools

Content of the lecture:

1. Scientism and anti-scientism

2. Pragmatism

3. Recommended readings

Scientism and anti-scientism

Cult of science has led to attempts to its proclamation as the supreme value of human civilization. Scientism (from Latin word “scientia - «knowledge", "science") is seen as the ideology of "clean and big science." Scientism is focused on methods of the natural sciences and engineering. Simultaneously with the scientism emerged antithesis – anti-scientism which proclaims the opposite setting. Anti-scientism had a pessimistic attitude to the possibilities of science. Anti-scientism referred the affects of the technological revolution and demanded to limit science, as well as a return to traditional values.

Scientism and anti-scientism are two conflicting orientations in the modern world. The proponents of scientism are all those who welcomed the achievements of scientific and technological revolution and believes in science. Science, according them, is the highest value.

Anti-scientists only see the negative consequences of the scientific and technological revolution. Their pessimism increased as the inability of science to solve the economic and socio-political issues.

Representatives of scientism were English and French materialists F. Bacon, J. Lock, Voltaire, D. Diderot, and J-J. Rousseau.

Anti-scientist representatives:

Soren Kierkegaard (Denmark). He asked tricky questions for science. What discoveries made in the field of science ethics? Does the behavior of the people change, if they believe that the sun rotates around the Earth? Can the spirit to live in expectation latest news from newspapers and magazines? When the world is in flames and decompose into elements, the spirit will remain.

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