In this paper, I will argue against anti-scientism. First, I will break down and present an example of an anti-scientific sentiment in America. Subsequently, I will explain what I believe motivates someone to be skeptical of a scientific claim. Finally, I will support my argument on whether can it be justified in denying a scientific claim by the scientific community.
Evolution is a prevalent antiscientific sentiment in America. When we think about evolution, the first thing that comes to mind is the belief that people evolved from monkeys/apes or fish. Evolution is the meaning of a gradual change over time. Darwin Day states that “the majority of Americans fully accept evolution through natural selection. Only a thirty-three percent of all Americans express that living thing evolve merely due to natural processes.” Meaning that most Americans support this argument because of the denial of the existence of God, claiming that it contradicts science yet people ignore it because of their belief. But there is no ‘scientific evidence’ that supports or will be able to support the existence of the first life on Earth. Therefore, an experiment cannot be conducted in a lab to be proven and leaving no evidence to how the first generation or chains began.
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"Anti-Scientism Responsive Essay".
The essential motivation for someone to be skeptical of a particular scientific claim would point to spirituality. Christians are taught that religion and science are incompatible. In the Bible, Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of things we do not see.” This biblical verse is trying to convey to the reader that having faith in God is the evidence that we do not physically see. The scriptural viewpoints that we are presented to have a natural and spiritual explanation. We learn that through Christ nothing is impossible, that following his word will give us the entrance into Heaven because we placed our faith in him solemnly. Blessed John Paul II, in his 1998 encyclical on faith and reason (Fides et Ratio), described scientism as the “philosophical notion which refuses to admit the validity of forms of knowledge other than those of the positive sciences; and it relegates religious, ethical and aesthetic knowledge to the reality of more fantasy.” In other words, the Bible is not to convey to scientific understanding, but to grasp the true meaning of it. Scientism is contradicting, the statement cannot be asserted without being undermined.
During the classical period Bronze Age, Iron Age, the scientific community and the rest of society believed that the world was flat, with a shape of a plane or disk. This belief is otherwise known as a “conspiracy theory.” Their reason to believe that the Earth was flat was mainly due to television networks and movement that lead into the credibility by celebrity support. Then the idea of spherical Earth appeared in Greek philosophy by Aristotle, offering an argument about the surface of it. Stevens, Karen says the following about Aristotle’s supporting his claim, “Aristotle proved that the Earth is round by carefully observing lunar eclipses.” He noticed that it was always curved, coming into conclusion that it is something that only spheres would do. It was based on observations about which constellation travelled the furthest. He used math, physics, and science, but he did not necessarily prove it. It was the very first account of it. Countless images from space can confirm that the Earth is round. A great example that helped propose the Earth is round was that when a ship sails off into the abyss, we notice that the shop slowly decreases in size and eventually sails beneath the horizon, leaving us to believe that the Earth is therefore flat.
