[Epoch Times] "The Science" emerged long before 2020 as a potent source of authority for politicians. Yet, while the scientific method is a powerful tool for advancing human potential, the belief that it alone can guide us is an example of "scientism."Scientism is, in the words of public intellectual Scott Masson, "the belief that moral or evaluative judgments are merely subjective and that only the ’hard’ sciences—think physics, chemistry, or biology—furnish legitimate objective knowledge." While few American politicians would openly endorse this position, the actions many have taken during the COVID-19 pandemic reflect scientism in deed, if not in word.
Scientism lets politicians off the hook for their decisions. They didn’t really make a decision—they merely "Followed The Science."
As a scientistic credo, "Follow The Science" does not just abrogate leaders’ accountability as decisionmakers. It also does violence to the nature of science, which seldom offers the clear-cut, politically useful conclusions that politicians want.
A popular meme contrasts the "Scientific Method" with the "Science Worshiper’s Method." While the former moves in a rigorous, self-correcting way toward results that may or may not align with a specific hypothesis, the latter constructs a model and then only accepts the data that will confirm that model.