The worship of the
scientific method as a sacred, infallible procedure that, if followed correctly, guarantees truth.
Scientific method religion treats the textbook “
hypothesis, experiment, conclusion” sequence as a universal algorithm applicable to all questions, ignoring that actual science is messy, pluralistic, and value‑laden. It dismisses fields that cannot experiment (history, cosmology) as less scientific, and treats methodological deviations as heresy. It is a religion because it attributes to a procedure a power it cannot have: to settle all disputes and banish uncertainty forever.
Example: “He insisted that only ‘hypothesis‑testing’ produces knowledge, dismissing qualitative
social science as ‘not real science’—
scientific method religion, canonizing one method as the only path to truth.”
Scientific Evidence Religion
A variant of evidence‑based religion that specifically worships “scientific evidence” as the only legitimate kind, rejecting personal testimony, cultural tradition, and practical experience as worthless. Scientific evidence religion treats peer‑reviewed studies as sacred texts, meta‑analyses as catechisms, and any gap in the literature as proof of falsehood. It often forgets that scientific evidence is itself produced by communities with
assumptions, interests, and blind spots. It is the faith that what is published in journals is what is real.
Example: “He dismissed her chronic pain because ‘there’s no scientific evidence it’s real’—scientific evidence religion, treating absence of published studies as absence of reality.”
