Scientism isn't dogma; it's just refusing to grant grant immunity from rationality to religion. It's applying the same modes of rational thought that led the speaker to maintain that the Earth is old etc. to all domains, without bias. And the result is that, yes, the idea that there are "other ways of knowing" is just false, the idea that mystic or spiritual experiences can teach us about the world is just wrong, and so on. Not all belief systems are equal. Building your belief system from science IS the rational thing to do, and religions just utterly fail to pass muster under this test.
Scientism is a dogma; it presents empiricism as the final determiner of metaphysical truths when empiricism itself is epistemologically questionable, reliant on circular logic to prove itself, and thoroughly dependent on sensory experience (which cannot be validated as perfect knowledge on an epistemic level).
@38:27 >> ... and I did not mean in any way to imply that the diverse belief systems around the world, especially those engaging with faith traditions, are akin to a child believing in the tooth fairy..." Then why the anecdote? Perhaps, in spite of your explicit denial of the implication, this is where your your musings on belief led you and perhaps leads us.
Scientism isn't dogma; it's just refusing to grant grant immunity from rationality to religion. It's applying the same modes of rational thought that led the speaker to maintain that the Earth is old etc. to all domains, without bias. And the result is that, yes, the idea that there are "other ways of knowing" is just false, the idea that mystic or spiritual experiences can teach us about the world is just wrong, and so on.
Not all belief systems are equal. Building your belief system from science IS the rational thing to do, and religions just utterly fail to pass muster under this test.
Scientism is a dogma; it presents empiricism as the final determiner of metaphysical truths when empiricism itself is epistemologically questionable, reliant on circular logic to prove itself, and thoroughly dependent on sensory experience (which cannot be validated as perfect knowledge on an epistemic level).
@38:27 >> ... and I did not mean in any way to imply that the diverse belief systems around the world, especially those engaging with faith traditions, are akin to a child believing in the tooth fairy..."
Then why the anecdote? Perhaps, in spite of your explicit denial of the implication, this is where your your musings on belief led you and perhaps leads us.