Science skepticism is well-justified

[Habitual_Ritual]

It makes sense that so much science appears to follow politics rather than, as people like to pretend, the other way around:

http://voxday.blogspot.com/2018/08/science-skepticism-is-well-justified.html

[John Lamb]

If it's true that the social & environmental sciences are practiced with systemic bias for political reasons, it is a fortiori true of biology whenever it touches upon the theory of evolution. This is because the theory of evolution is not merely a hypothesis of interest only to biologists, but is rather the cosmological principle or founding myth of modern society. Modern society is built on an evolutionary cosmology as much as medieval society was built on a biblical one, and this is reflected in all aspects of our society (including politics, law, art, education, etc.) To do away with evolution would be to do away with modernity / modern society as such, which is why modern "scientists" cling to it so fiercely despite increasing evidence of its absurdity. To undermine the evolutionary cosmology would be to undermine the intellectual totalitarianism of the "scientific" establishment, seeing as their pride of place as educators of mankind rests on the assumption that the world is entirely material and can only be understood through material science.

edit: I'll post this on his blog, lol.

[Kreuzritter]

Obviously. Burtt’s Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science and Kuhn’s Structure of Scientific Revolutions ought to be mandatory reading for all who would talk about science as knowledge, and that’s before even getting into a logical analysis and critique of “empirical” science and its underlying assumptions, much less of pretended “historical sciences” and their magical crystal ball into the past.

But it doesn’t matter. The majority have been sold on the sacrosanctity of anything and everything recognised by its own authorities as “science” because it conforms to their physicalist way of thinking and in turn is used to strengthen that physicalist prejudice in a pull yourself up by your own bootstraps kind of way.

Here’s a hint: if it doesn’t by propositions unique to it directly lead to the production of viable technologies whose possibility depends on their content and predictions, ignore it. That’s you, AGW, macroevolution, Neoclassical Economics, Cultural Abthropology, phrenology & co.

[Kreuzritter]

More to the point, the discoveries and theories of mechanics, chemistry, nuclear physics, electronics, computer science, human biology, etc., these things are used by capitalists to produce products that work and make money.

Who can say the same thing about the theories of evolutionists or climatologists? Hell, even psychology has been used to create propaganda and the advertising industry. What has evolutionary psychology with it’s just-so stories accomplished in the real world? Anyone used it to become a billionaire?

The only way people make money from evolution and global warming is by selling books and getting government to pay. Isn’t it ironic how the two biggest sacred cows of scientism are the two most pragmatically meaningless theories that make in principle unverifiable claims and have no economic value but are both used to ideological and socio-political ends?

[Habitual_Ritual]

Scientistry in action
You will note that the self-correcting process of scientistry bears almost no resemblance to the ideal concept of science that is romanticized by the Bill Nye Fake Science brigade:

http://voxday.blogspot.com/2018/08/scientistry-in-action.html

[Quaremerepulisti]

This isn't really a lament about how much science has become politicized these days, or infected with a reductionist/physicalist philosophy.  This is the "Custer's Last Stand" of those who can't stomach the shellacking philosophy and theology have taken from science in recent centuries.  Simply deny that science really yields knowledge, or at least really useful knowledge, and call those who think it does either idiots or moral degenerates.

Good luck with that...