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| William Shakespeare |
Scientism is the philosophical theory that
affirms that science is the only valid source of human knowledge.
Taken literally, this statement sometimes leads to absurd conclusions. Perhaps
the following case is an example of scientism. I’ve taken it from a recent
article by Joseph Pearce entitled Shakespeare
and Science.
Kathryn Harkup, British doctor in chemical sciences and science communicator, has published several books analyzing various literary works from the point of view of science. I don’t know if Harkup is a case of scientism, but her emphasis on science makes me think that perhaps she is. She has recently published a book titled Death by Shakespeare, where she criticizes how Shakespeare presents death in his plays, based on what she believes science modern knows about death. Pearce highlights two examples, which show some of the absurd conclusions caused by basing only on science.
