scientism

noun

sci·en·tism | \ ˈsī-ən-ˌti-zəm

Definition of scientism

1 : methods and attitudes typical of or attributed to the natural scientist

2 : an exaggerated trust in the efficacy of the methods of natural science applied to all areas of investigation (as in philosophy, the social sciences, and the humanities)

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Examples of scientism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But his consilience project stems from excessive faith in science, or scientism. — John Horgan, Scientific American, 25 June 2021 The first is a form of blind scientism—that is, a belief in the capacity of science to solve all problems. — Liv Grjebine, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2020 Conservatives, at least historically, have been willing to take their ideas above the rim of materialism, to argue against scientism and emphasize the transcendent and spiritual. — Samuel James, National Review, 14 Feb. 2020 We were hampered by our inability to think about second- and third-order effects and by our susceptibility to scientism—the false comfort of assuming that numbers and percentages give us a solid empirical basis. — Zeynep Tufekci, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2020 There’s also a difference between scientism and science. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2019 Forced busing was a mad combination of sociological scientism and judicial overreach. — Nr Editors, National Review, 11 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scientism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.