Scientism

Many atheists hold to a view called scientism. The belief that "Science is the only reliable way to know what is true." This view dismisses philosophy, theology, and ethics as mere opinion.

However, Scientism is fatally flawed because it is self-refuting. The statement "Science is the only way to know the truth" is not a scientific statement. You cannot prove it in a lab; you cannot put it in a test tube; you cannot measure it.

It is, in fact, a philosophical statement about science. Therefore, if Scientism is true, the statement itself is false, because it cannot be proven by science.

Scientism is a dogma that rules out other forms of knowledge (logical, moral, experiential) by arbitrary fiat. It forces the atheist to deny obvious truths (like "torture is wrong" or "2+2=4") simply because they are not physical objects that can be measured by the scientific method.

Formal Argument

P1. Scientism asserts: only propositions justified by the methods of the natural sciences are rationally justified.

P2. That assertion is not itself justifiable by the methods of the natural sciences.

C. Therefore, scientism is false (it refutes itself).

Analogy

A man enters a library and announces, “Only books written in this room contain knowledge.” When asked how he knows this, he admits he learned it elsewhere.

His rule disqualifies itself the moment it is stated. Likewise, scientism declares science the only path to truth, but that declaration itself is not scientific. It is a philosophical claim smuggled in while philosophy is being dismissed.