scientism

American  

[sahy-uhn-tiz-uhm] / ˈsaɪ ənˌtɪz əm /

noun

1. the style, assumptions, techniques, practices, etc., typifying or regarded as typifying scientists.

2. the belief that the assumptions, methods of research, etc., of the physical and biological sciences are equally appropriate and essential to all other disciplines, including the humanities and the social sciences.

3. scientific or pseudoscientific language.

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scientism British  

/ ˈsaɪənˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. the application of, or belief in, the scientific method

2. the uncritical application of scientific or quasi-scientific methods to inappropriate fields of study or investigation

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Other Word Forms

• scientistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of scientism

First recorded in 1875–80; scient(ist) + -ism

Example Sentences

In overindulgent headlines and ill-advised body-copy, would be defenders of the faith of Scientism gleefully celebrated missing the entire point of panpsychism across some widely circulating and uninformed articles that I’d rather not further promote.

From Salon

And when you treat science like a religion, like a framework for limiting the interpretation of the world’s possibilities, rather than like a framework for discovering those possibilities — you stop writing science journalism and you start writing Scientism apologia.

From Salon

“I think it’s dangerous to lean too far into scientism, which is when you see the world exclusively through the lens of whether something is backed by science,” O’Keefe said.

From Slate

But his consilience project stems from excessive faith in science, or scientism.

From Scientific American

A second obstacle is the meritocracy’s anti-supernaturalism: The average Ivy League professor, management consultant or Google engineer is not necessarily a strict materialist, but they have all been trained in a kind of scientism, which regards strong religious belief as fundamentally anti-rational, miracles as superstition, the idea of a personal God as so much wishful thinking.

From New York Times