The institutional form of sciengion—science as an organized religion with hierarchical structures (research institutions, funding bodies, elite journals), formalized rituals (peer review, conference presentations, grant panels), and excommunication mechanisms (retractions, denial of tenure, shunning of “denialists”). On the internet and social media, organized sciengion manifests in communities that enforce orthodoxy, celebrate “science communicators” as clergy, and treat mainstream consensus as infallible doctrine. It turns science into a centralized authority system, often losing sight of its fallible, provisional, pluralistic nature.
Example: “The subreddit had a list of banned topics, a list of approved sources, and a rota of designated explainers—Organized Sciengion, complete with dogma and hierarchy.”
by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal March 23, 2026
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