ESPERAT, PRINCESS ELAINE L.

BSA 2-A
Activity 6. "The Magician's Twin: CS Lewis and the Case against Scientism"
ESSAY
Scientism is an excessive belief in the depth of scientific knowledge. It is the use of systematic
designs and logically inclined dispositions and/or concepts borrowed from the natural sciences to
human activities and social situations. It is the notion that science is the only method to be safe in
the event of a catastrophic disaster, and that not being scientific equates to being inferior in terms
of power and rate of credibility for those that believe in this dogmatic conduct. Technocracy is a
suggested form of government in which leaders are chosen primarily on their technical
competence and field of expertise. Since the term "technocracy" was first used to advocate the
use of scientific methods to address and resolve societal issues, it has been compared to
scientism because this framework expressly appears in a variety of ways in relation to the idea of
technocrats having total control (having the highest managerial authority) over those with
various political affiliations or parliamentary abilities. Too long, didn't read: ordinary politicians
have become the stooges of these ostensibly technical experts. CS Lewis went to great measures
to make it clear that he was not "science is opposed. He, on the other hand, was unambiguous in
his restriction of " scientism." According to him, scientism is the erroneous belief that only
cutting-edge science can provide the main solid technique for learning about the world, and its
end product appears to have led those scientists/technocrats to believe that they are the only ones
who have the right to direct the general public's ethics, religious convictions, and even the right
to rule over government strategies simply because of their superiority complex, the result of their
exception. The expression "the magician's twin" was coined by Lewis himself. "The parallel
between science and magic runs across a number of his writings," according to John West, the
two ideas of science and magic being comparative in that they can act as an elective religion in
their support of an absence of uncertainty, and in their quest for control. One of the similarities
between science and magic in the film was that both elements inspire credulity. A person of
extraordinary magical prowess held great authority in ancient times as long as he or she could
back it up with results. That concept alone generated dread in his followers, and their admiration
for him kept them from questioning how trustworthy he is, and they readily accepted any
statements spouted from them, the magicians, as absolute truth, without reservation, and this
made them naïve. The documentary envisions a manifestation similar to what is currently
occurring in the field of science. Consider the interaction between a doctor and a patient. The
patient will automatically trust anything the doctor says, regardless of whether it is accurate or
whether it is a mistake on his part. A typical patient will readily accept anything the doctor says
since he trusts him does not understand the process or the "science" behind his or her illness He
understands that his ideas are meaningless and will be ignored by the majority. He has no doubts
because he feels the doctor understands more about science than he does. As we can see, science
may be used as a tool for deceit, a means to discourage an inquisitive mind, a tool to dismiss
critical thinking, and a tool to foster gullibility owing to its complexity.