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The Magician's Twin: C.S. Lewis & The Case against Scientism,…
The Magician's Twin: C.S. Lewis & The Case against Scientism
C.S. Lewis
:check: Valued Science
Appreciated its power for understanding the natural world
Supported scientific inquiry and empirical reasoning
:warning: Feared Scientism
The idea of science is the only path to knowledge
Saw it as reductionist and dehumanizing
Scientism
Materialism- a belief that only physical matter exists and everything can be explained by chemical reactions
Reductionism - talks about reduction of complex phenomena into simplest physical biological explanation.
:
Reduction to Human's consciousness, emotions, morality & spiritual worth
Inherent human dignity & value
Ethical & Moral Standards
Improper use of Science & Technology
Often Caused by:
Desire for excessive power
Social Credit and Surveillance System
Eugenics
Disregard to Human Dignity
Euthanasia
Abortion
Economic & Political Interests
Tobacco Industry's Manipulation of Science
Climate Change Denial Lobbying
Which Violates:
Ethical & Moral Consideration
Dehumanization
Loss of Freedom
Manipulation
Foundations of Lewis’s Critique of Scientism
View of Human Nature
St. Augustine – Saw human beings as morally responsible and spiritually complex.
Christian Theology – Emphasized the soul, free will, and fallen nature.
G.K. Chesterton – Warned of the dangers of dehumanizing ideologies.
Belief in Moral Objectivity
Plato – Belief in a realm of objective moral truths beyond material reality.
Aristotle / Natural Law – Reason as a tool to understand moral order.
Christian Doctrine – Moral law as rooted in God’s nature and universally binding.
Fear of Reducing People to Mere Biology/Statistics (core to Lewis’s critique of scientism)
Chesterton – Critiqued modernity for turning people into "numbers and functions."
Plato & Augustine – Taught that reducing the human to material parts is a distortion.
George MacDonald (through myth) – Helped Lewis value spiritual symbolism over materialism.
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