opinion:

A bit of news that escaped many people’s attention this week was the feud between Lila Rose and Dr. Phil. topic? Definition of science and definition of life. The exchange went something like this.

Ms. Rose: “The science is clear. Life begins at conception. This is simply a genetic and biological fact.”

Dr. Phil: “No. There is no consensus. Life does not begin until we, the scientists, decide to begin.”

And you got it — mansplaining at its best. No one can decide anything except a smart man like a doctor who knows far more than a foolish woman who dares to go against him.

Welcome to The Rise of Feelings for Facts. Welcome to a world where emotions trump reality. Welcome to the rise of scientism over science.

In the early 1900s, G.K. Chesterton observed that “Dr. the ‘Phils’ of his day were willing to use arbitrary definitions of ‘science’ to justify pernicious philosophies and to sway others with near-religious fervor.” imposed a subjective view of the world on everyone in “I have never said a word of condemnation of a prominent scientist. What I complain about is a vague general philosophy which thinks itself to be scientific, which is in fact It’s a kind of new religion, and it’s nothing more than a very nasty one.

Recognizing that science can never be assumed to be competitive in the field of morality, Chesterton went further. “To confuse science and philosophy is to produce philosophy devoid of all its ideal values ​​and science devoid of all its practical values. It is my family doctor who will tell me.It is my private philosopher who will tell me whether I should be killed.”

Chesterton knew that science could answer questions in mathematics and medicine, but he was also keenly aware that science had nothing to say about meaning. He warned that scientific “progress” is fraught with danger. Survival of the fittest, he argued, might be an interesting academic debate when applied to vegetables, animals, or minerals, but when applied to humans, the consequences are horrifying.

C.S. Lewis anticipates the rise of what he and others have called “science” to see public policy, and even moral and religious beliefs, assume the role of our new cultural high priest. warned of a dystopia dictated by professors and politicians who are too enthusiastic about

In his novel That Hidden Strength, Lewis asked readers to consider Dr. Phil’s obvious question. Rockets and atomic bombs, how is your new artificial god working for you?

“Natural science, though good and harmless in itself, [have] It’s subtly steered in a certain direction,” Lewis said. “Despair for Objective Truth [has] increasingly alluded to [scientism]; mere concentration on power [has] result. Lewis argues that if those who consider themselves to be the “fittest” are not hampered by an objective understanding of right and wrong, their quest for power will always be Orwell’s, rather than the paradise promised by their peers. I knew it would lead to nightmares.

The list of warnings about the inevitable consequences of scientism is long. Chesterton, Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, TS Eliot, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell all warn of this brave new world where nothing is valued other than “eat, drink and look forward to tomorrow that you may die.” Did. They know that when we believe in the God we see in the mirror more than the God we see in the Bible, at the end of the day there is little left but to sing with Anthony Bourdain in fervent resonance and sad self-deception. Knew., “Suicide is painless.”

The timeless lesson of Narcissus, who stood by the river and stared at his own reflection, is that those who are preoccupied with themselves, their feelings, and their desires, inevitably slip, drown, and drown. .

Dr. Phil’s arrogance is obvious, but that our entire culture is as fascinated by our images as, if not more, than the Greek gods, standing with him on the edge of the proverbial pool We deny the experiential and heighten the emotional. We boldly brag that our emotions don’t care about facts, and that our libido is our ultimate lord. “We are now geocentric!” Declaring the Son does not exist (yes, I spelled it that way), we declare ourselves the center of the universe.

Science is damned! Today we all worship in the Temple of Science and its gods. God help us

• Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper) is a Washington Times columnist, former university president, and radio host.