Reconsideration of Science and Technology II: Scientism and Anti-Scientism

In reviewing and reconsidering the intellectual history of scientism and antiscientism, the authors assess the process of reasoning and prejudices of these contrasting viewpoints, while discussing the repercussions of scientific hegemony and its contemporary criticism.

As the second volume of a three-volume set that proposes to reconsider science and technology and explores how the philosophy of science and technology responds to an ever-changing world, this title focuses on ideological trends centering around scientism and anti-scientism since the 19th century. The six chapters look into the emergence of scientism, instrumental reason, scientific optimism, scientific pessimism, scientific crisis and irrationalism and finally the deconstruction of scientism. The authors provide insight into the connections and biases of these disparate views and critiques, explore the influences of the hegemony of science and contemporary critique of science and evaluate the value of postmodernism and deconstructivism.

The volume will appeal to scholars and students interested in the philosophy of science and technology, the ideology of scientism and anti-scientism, modernism and postmodernism, Marxist philosophy and topics related to scientific culture.

Liu Dachun is Distinguished Professor at Renmin University of China and also a pioneer and leading scholar of Chinese philosophy of science and technology. He specializes in philosophy of science, STS (science, technology and society) and history of scientific thought.

Ai Zhiqiang is Professor at the School of Marxism, Liaoning University of Technology, China. He specializes in the study of Marxism and contemporary scientific and technological developments, particularly in the field of STS.

Yang Huili is Lecturer of Philosophy at the School of Humanities, Southwest Jiaotong University, China. She specializes in the research of philosophy of science, STS and engineering ethics.