scientism
noun
sci·en·tism
ˈsī-ən-ˌti-zəm 
1
: methods and attitudes typical of or attributed to the natural scientist
Examples of scientism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The line is straight out of eugenics, the deeply dishonest scientism that in the early 20th century convinced many people that criminality, poverty and a host of other ills were all inherited.
—
Daniel Vergano, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2024
But Gandhi, deeply hostile to scientism and industrialism, actually advocated the re-creation of self-sufficient village communities.
—Pankaj Mishra, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2013
Since then, commentators of various political and religious persuasions have attributed to scientism a remarkably broad array of problems.
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 9 Sep. 2023
The inability to found any discipline of social science akin to one of the natural sciences is a key feature of the spread of scientism in the modern world.
—Jason Blakely, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
Perhaps most importantly, the American weight loss discourse must move away from a reflexive scientism, which has enabled biomedicine to subject the entirety of human experience to its single-minded scrutiny.
—WIRED, 15 Feb. 2023
In an age of too much information, our preconceptions and priors take over to help us weed through explanations, and in an age of Victorian scientism, that means vampires aren’t an option.
—Jeremy Dauber, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2022
These impulses began to seem like firm examples of scientism, a spiritual impoverishment in which one’s feelings and opinions hide behind a facade of false exactitude.
—Sasha Frere-Jones, Harper’s Magazine , 9 Nov. 2022
The high calling that Del Noce leaves us is to break through this impasse and once again think and live in truths about God and man that transcend materialism, scientism, and an unexamined secularism.
—Richard M. Reinsch Ii, National Review, 17 Feb. 2022
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Daniel Vergano, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2024
But Gandhi, deeply hostile to scientism and industrialism, actually advocated the re-creation of self-sufficient village communities.
—Pankaj Mishra, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2013
Since then, commentators of various political and religious persuasions have attributed to scientism a remarkably broad array of problems.
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 9 Sep. 2023
The inability to found any discipline of social science akin to one of the natural sciences is a key feature of the spread of scientism in the modern world.
—Jason Blakely, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
Perhaps most importantly, the American weight loss discourse must move away from a reflexive scientism, which has enabled biomedicine to subject the entirety of human experience to its single-minded scrutiny.
—WIRED, 15 Feb. 2023
In an age of too much information, our preconceptions and priors take over to help us weed through explanations, and in an age of Victorian scientism, that means vampires aren’t an option.
—Jeremy Dauber, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2022
These impulses began to seem like firm examples of scientism, a spiritual impoverishment in which one’s feelings and opinions hide behind a facade of false exactitude.
—Sasha Frere-Jones, Harper’s Magazine , 9 Nov. 2022
The high calling that Del Noce leaves us is to break through this impasse and once again think and live in truths about God and man that transcend materialism, scientism, and an unexamined secularism.
—Richard M. Reinsch Ii, National Review, 17 Feb. 2022
Dictionary Entries Near scientism
Cite this Entry
“Scientism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scientism. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share