Marie Bernadine P.

Ylaya August 26, 2022

BS Accountancy (Block E)

1. Why was C.S. Lewis very much a skeptic and critic of scientism? Was he against
science?
Scientism is referred to as the effort to use the methods of science to
explain and control every part of human life. It was the idea that the methods of
natural science should be the bar all intellectuals must hold. However, C.S. Lewis
viewed it as a “materialistic approach” that wanted to reduce everything that we
could scientifically understand. He saw it as losing scientific learning to
materialistic, blind, and indirected causes. For that reason, he was skeptical of
the idea of scientism which opposed his ideology, he also saw it being confused
with science. He was not against science as he believed it to be a perfectly
legitimate enterprise which he actually studied. It was mentioned by Jay Richards
that “He never so far as I know attacked science itself, what he attacked was
scientism.”. So science itself was something C.S. Lewis was not against, it was
scientism. However, he did believe that science could be corrupted; it was
something others could study to gain power over others which he saw as
something to be avoided.

2. How did C.S. Lewis explain the following:

2.1 science as religion

Science has the ability to function as a religion. It can be an alternative
religion in the sense that scientific discoveries or theories could be developed
into cosmic theory. Science could be a foundation or source of inspiration for
characters such as demigods to be created. It can create worlds and ideas that
people would believe to be true or possible. It can give a sense of there is
something higher than ourselves in the universe. Religion can be seen as
something that gives life meaning and purpose, which is why others see science
to be their religion as they believe it to be true and reasonable. People celebrate
specific days for their religion, which is similar to how others celebrate important
days for science such as February 12 which is Darwin’s day; science has many
similarities to religion which is why it can function as one for some people.

2.2 science as credulity

Science encourages a lack of skepticism which is why it can be explained
as credulity or the tendency to believe something to be true or real. Gullibility
can be promoted in science as people can believe almost anything as long as it is
dressed up in the name of science. C.S. Lewis believed that Freudianism was one
of the leading examples in science that fueled gullibility. Although he was
intrigued by some of the claims of psychoanalysis, he rejected the effort of
Freud’s followers to explain everything as a result of our subconscious urges. He
took Freud’s view to a conclusion that undermines a belief in Freudianism. His
 point was that if all reasoning is fundamentally based on sub rational urges that
we cannot analyze and there is no real reason that we can judge based on
evidence, then that destroys Freudianism, which makes it self-contradicting. He
saw Freudianism as leading one to deconstruct everything which leaves them
with nothing. As long as one is presented in a smart and realistic way, then
people will easily believe it to be true, which is why credulity can be observed in
science.

2.3 science as power

Science has the quest for power. As mentioned before, C.S. Lewis believed
that science could be used by others to gain power. He said that much of modern
science is devoted towards power over the world. It had the power to bring
people to imagine and hope for a scientific utopia which brings peace and
prosperity to society. Science was seen as the path towards the future. During
Lewis’ era, it was seen as an opportunity to remake our world; it was their savior.
Science was something people could use in order to be better and stronger. It
was progress and evolution towards a better world. Everything can be seen as a
possibility because of science.

3. Why did C.S. Lewis think that modern science is far more dangerous than magic?
One’s tendency to want to control things can lead to the Orwellian state of
George Orwell’s 1984. This novella showcased social control through the use of
disinformation and surveillance (Groening, 2019). Lewis thought that modern
science was far more dangerous than magic because magic failed. Magic does
not work but science does. Modern science has the potential to be used in order
to control other people, it is real. He even wrote a story that had a government
bureaucracy called N.I.C.E. which stood for National Institute of Coordinated
Experiments. It was about a conspiracy to transform England into a scientific
dictatorship which was led by them. It included scientific activities that bring
harm to others such as sterilization of the unfit and selective breeding. Through
his work, Lewis clearly showed the potential of science to be used as a tool to
bring danger to society. It was also happening in the real world such as doctors
experimenting nazi medicine on prisoners and other war crimes in Nuremberg in
1947 and forced sterilization in the United States in 1927.

4. Why did C.S. Lewis become increasingly concerned about the rise of
scientocracy? How does scientocracy relate to scientism?
Scientocracy is what C.S. Lewis called the government and society that
claims to be based on modern science, but in reality it was based on a scientific
group of a few people who spoke in the name of science. They claim their right
to rule based on their scientific knowledge and expertise. This concerned Lewis
of science being used in a dogmatic way. Scientocracy can be related to
scientism since both can lead to the controlling of other people. They both use
 science, may it be its name or its methods in order to get what they want. Both
take advantage of the reputation of science to gain what they desire.

5. Based on what you learned in the documentary film, how does scientism pose a
threat to the human person flourishing in science and technology? Why should
science be guided by an ethical basis that is not dictated by science itself?
Scientism poses a threat to the human person flourishing in science and
technology in a way that it shows that science can be used as a means to control
human life. It can bring fear or temptation to the eyes of the people as it can
make people tools for someone else’s benefit even if it brings harm unto others.
One can use science to overpower others, especially those who are vulnerable.
This can lead to people avoiding or not believing in science which may slow its
progress of inventions and societies being created and improved. This becomes a
hindrance to what the world could have been if people did not abuse science, we
are unable to reach our full potential. Science should be guided by an ethical
basis to ensure that the lives of others are valued; so that “for the sake of
science” is not a good enough reason to trample on others’ lives and well-being.
The end does not justify the means; although it is for a good cause, science
should still not harm other people and creatures as it does not respect their
rights and being, therefore an ethical basis must be used as a guide.

Sources Used (apart from video):

Groening, S. (2019, June 12). What Orwell’s ‘1984’ tells us about today’s world,
70 years after it was published. The Conversation. Retrieved August 24,
2022, from
https://theconversation.com/what-orwells-1984-tells-us-about-todays-worl
d-70-years-after-it-was-published-116940