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Some people seem to think that there are no real limits to the competence of science, no limits to what can be achieved in the name of science. There is no area of human life to which science cannot successfully be applied. A scientific account of anything and everything constitutes the full story of the universe and its inhabitants. Or, if there are limits to the scientific enterprise, the idea is that, at least, science sets the boundaries for what we human beings can ever know about reality. This is the view of scientism.
From a historical perspective, perhaps the most well-known proponent of scientism is the French social philosopher Auguste Comte, with his attempt to create a religion based on science – the “Religion of Humanity” 1852. Another interesting and far-reaching attempt to have science take over many of the functions of religion, and thus itself become a religion, was undertaken by the German...
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References
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Stenmark, M. (2013). Scientism. In: Runehov, A.L.C., Oviedo, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_1534
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