Radical Skepticism and Scientism
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Feb 20, 2024
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Radical Skepticism and Scientism Makayla Gliori Philosophy Department, Grand Canyon University Professor Timothy Cadillac February 8, 2022
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Radical Skepticism and Scientism The scope through which an individual defines their beliefs can impact and shape the way
in which they perceive the world. For some, religion is the looking glass through which they view the world and stand to judge knowledge. Others turn inwards or towards science, claiming them to be the only sources of true knowledge. The conflict then arises when core belief systems are stacked against one another; when viewed through the scope of the other, a paradox forms. It is paradoxes similar to these that I will cover in this paper by comparing radical skepticism and scientism to Christianity. By the end of this paper, it is my aim to explain both theories and address the contradictions they hold against the Christian Worldview. Radical Skepticism Radical skepticism, also referred to as external-world skepticism, is the belief system that
believes all knowledge outside of one’s mind cannot be known (van der Breggen, 2011). There are four subcategories, all of which attempt to provide explanations into the validity of radical skepticism (van der Breggen, 2011). Overall, the issue with radical skepticism can be boiled down into one key idea and that is, it places the burden of proof on those who deny the obvious (van der Breggen, 2011). This belief system operates on the basic notion of ‘what if?’
, asking its believers to question everything and deny the probable and obvious. However, the assertation of possibility through the guise of deniable plausibility, does not constitute grounds for doubt (van der Breggen, 2011). By questioning everything and giving way to endless plausibility, radical skepticism dilutes the meanings of the words truth and knowledge. According to radical skepticism, knowledge must be experienced firsthand to be declared accurate, thus any and all knowledge outside of one’s capacity to experience is declared unattainable knowledge. If this were so, common sense, religion, and even most scientific principles could not be proven.
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Radical skepticism and Christianity are not compatible on a fundamental level. Christianity believes that God gave people the ability to use logic and reasoning, as well as the ability to determine the validity of these ideas. It is through this ability that Christians have chosen to believe in God and have shaped their worldview to reflect so. Radical skepticism forgoes the plausible and instead questions the possible. Christianity uses the logic and reasoning, given to people by God, to deduce the existence of God through external-world knowledge. Christians point to reasonable evidence for the existence in God, seen in the universe
being proven to have a beginning and the arrangement of the universe being special designed to house life (van der Breggen, 2011). Furthermore, external-world knowledge provides witness testimony for the existence of God, seen in the New Testament (van der Breggen, 2011). It is Christianity’s determination of the validity of external-world knowledge that make radical skepticism and the Christian Worldview incompatible. Scientism Scientism is the view which believes hard sciences are the only way to ascertain true knowledge and this scientific knowledge is superior to any other discipline (Moreland, 2018a). This belief is derived from the idea that these claims have been tested and proven by scientific processes while all other claims are emotional or privately held opinions (Moreland, 2018b). The
main problem with scientism is the fact that the belief itself is self-refuting. Scientism claims to know that all knowledge ascertained by hard science is true, however there is no scientific way to prove this point (Moreland, 2018b). Having a belief system built on the foundation of a self-
refuting structure, only gives way to a closed off worldview. This closed off worldview can lead to marginalization of faith and the exclusion of all things non-natural (Moreland, 2018b). As discussed, scientism believes the only way to prove something with certainty is through the use
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of a hard science. If this were true, human values such as ethics, morality, religion, miracles, and spirituality would be false. These are concepts that humankind functions on, however there have not been any scientific tests done to determine the legitimacy of them. Scientism and the Christian Worldview have drastically different belief systems. The best
way to illustrate this point is to look at how the two belief systems would view morality and its legitimacy. Scientism would say that morality and ethics are nothing more than irrational beliefs,
as there has been no experiment done to prove the existence of them. Christianity, on the other hand, would point to the existence of morality arising from God, as He instilled these values into humankind. Furthermore, science is an everchanging practice. Take for example an electron, whose design has been changed several times since its first proposed design nearly one hundred fifty years ago (Moreland, 2018b). It is to be expected, through scientism, to take scientifically proven claims as truth and anything refuting said claims to be irrational. Christianity, on the other hand, has held the same core belief system and pointed to the same evidence from the beginning. Conclusion It was my aim to understand the differences and contradictions found when radical skepticism and scientism were compared to Christianity. Through my research I deduced that both branches of epistemology vary drastically from the beliefs held in the Christian Worldview. Radical skepticism aims to prove that the external world can never be fully understood as it lies outside the realm of human comprehension. Scientism views knowledge gained through hard science as the only truth, claiming all other knowledge to be inferior. Both branches of epistemology contradict the Christian Worldview’s understanding of knowledge.
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References Moreland, J. P. (2018a). Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology. Crossway. Moreland, J. P. (2018b). 10 things you should know about scientism. Crossway.
https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-scientism/
van der Breggen, H. (2011). Reasonable skepticism about radical skepticism. Christian Research
Institute
. https://www.equip.org/article/reasonable-skepticism-about-radical-skepticism/