* most intellectually
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I’ll exclude Harris, Dennett, & Hitchens from my original claim. But I’ve witnessed it w/Krauss, Shermer, Dawkins, Pinker, and at times N.G. Tyson. And it pains me because I’m fans of virtually all of them.
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Scientism in Pinker?
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That appears to be an uncharitable reading of this which is much more nuanced and could not justly be called 'scientism' in the sense that it is criticised. Believing science already has all the answers.https://newrepublic.com/article/114127/science-not-enemy-humanities …
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I’ve read that one and I agree. But these people are human beings too and capable of the same mistakes we all make. I don’t think Pinker is as bad as Krauss tho. In my view, Krauss makes science seem ideological to me, which is something I thought was impossible.
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I'm afraid I haven't followed Krauss much.
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Pinker is the only person I have never disagreed with yet but I'm sure I will at some point!
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I wrote this in response to a defence of postmodernism. https://areomagazine.com/2018/04/28/skepticism-is-necessary-in-our-post-truth-age-postmodernism-is-not/ … Includes this quote from Sokal & Bricmont which I think sets out the difference between the specific skepticism of science and the radical skepticism of PoMo.pic.twitter.com/upVGdsEKr8
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That’s a great paragraph, and pretty spot on. One reason why I like philosophy is because of its capacity to question and get to the root of things. What I gain from your paragraph is don’t embrace scientism, but don’t plunge into the abyss either
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I always reserve judgement when someone mentions philosophy. What follows can be a rigorous and logical argument seeking to clarify complex issues or complete fluffy woo made deliberately obscure. I think I might like your approach to it. Scientism is anti-science.
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Yeah, that’s completely understandable. Dennett himself has said philosophy is needed to protect from scientific overreach. Plus, life is vast. Not everything is going to be reduced to tabulations, test tubes, and MRI scans.
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No, we need people to be doing that stuff properly so we can call on it in to inform ethics & policy etc. I am interested in ideology & culture. Previously, late medieval & early modern but I've been stuck in the present for a while now.
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