‘Fanatical arrogance of men of science?’ Selective, alarmist and dystopian

‘I have never seen Francis Crick in a modest mood’ wrote James Watson at the start of his book The Double Helix.

Crick may well have said the same about Watson because these two scientists were certainly not known for their humility. And surely it is no surprise that some scientists are arrogant, just as are some sportspersons, some teachers, some doctors, some pastors and church leaders, and so on. Humans are not perfect and one way of being imperfect is arrogance. Scientists are no exception – they exhibit the same range of imperfections as society at large.

However, in his en article (June 2022) ‘The fanatical arrogance of men of science’ (for which we thank him), William Philip suggests that the arrogance of scientists goes much further than that. In particular he highlights the problems when atheist secularism, under the guise of liberalism, is the guiding principle for the way that our society is governed and suggests that the scientific hubris behind this may lead to many evil practices and totalitarian policies.

While we might agree with some of his fears, we must part company with almost everything that he says about the supposed tyranny of science. His article uses a series of highly selective, alarmist and dystopian quotations, which lack any specific scientific examples, and for which he gives no sources [and most are also taken from David Robertson’s (aka ‘TheWeeFlea’) article ‘The brave new world of atheist scientists’], which quotes James Philip’s ‘prescient and prophetic’ views. As an example, he refers to ‘a serious proposal then being considered: that the House of Lords be abolished and replaced with a “House of Scientists”, a body of “experts” to apply scientific knowledge and advances in technology for the greater good of society’. We have not been able to find the source of this ‘proposal’ but we note that an online petition was submitted to parliament in 2013 to ‘abolish the House of Lords and replace them with elected scientists, engineers, economists and other genuine experts in their fields…’. The petition was withdrawn after six months having gathered only eight signatures! He also cites Julian Huxley, who was indeed an atheist and a eugenicist, but he died nearly 50 years ago, and his prejudiced views on inheritance are not supported by 21st-century genetics.

By blaming scientists for many of the ills in today’s post-Christian society the article gives credence to the misguided notion that science and Christian faith are inevitably at war. He has confused several unconnected issues. He assumes that science is necessarily the same as atheism. There are indeed some very vocal atheist scientists (though the wind has gone from their sails since the heyday of the New Atheists). To the contrary there are many who hold sincere Christian beliefs – see for instance the membership of Christians in Science, the work of The Faraday Institute in Cambridge and several other organisations demonstrating the complementary nature of science and Christian belief. These people will be appalled to read the sweeping anti-science polemic in his article. He also confuses science with scientism. The former is a discipline that seeks to understand how the world works and can be used for (in the words of the foundation of The Royal Society) ‘the glory of God the Creator, and the advantage of the human race’. The latter (scientism) contends that science can explain everything, and that there is no such thing as ultimate meaning and purpose. This is indeed a form of atheism, though many atheists would not agree, and it is not itself a scientific statement. As Steve Jones, (atheist) Professor of Genetics wrote: ‘Science cannot answer the questions that philosophers, or children ask; Why are we here, what is the point of being alive? Genetics has almost nothing to say about what makes us more than just machines driven by biology, about what makes us human. These questions may be interesting, but scientists are no more qualified to comment on them than is anyone else’.

Science can tell us what the physical and biological world is like, it explains how it works, and it can hypothesise about what might be possible. However, science itself cannot adjudicate on moral values, though scientific knowledge can provide information that informs our decision making. Of course, scientific discoveries have been misused, but that is not the fault of science and scientists. In contrast science has brought many benefits to society for which we should rejoice. The list is almost endless, but could include antibiotics, cancer treatment, energy production, transport, and communications. Vaccines against smallpox (leading to its global eradication), influenza, measles, diphtheria and SARS-Cov-2; all these come from scientific discoveries. Science also has also warned us of impending disasters (such as the hole in the ozone layer, the effects of acid rain, and now the perilous effects of climate change that threaten our very existence). Science is one of God’s gifts to humankind, which can be used for good or misused for ill. It can be used as part of God’s words to ‘Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky…’ (Gen.1:28) taken alongside the mandate to ‘to work it and take care of it’ (Gen.2:15).

In terms of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic, scientists gave the best advice to government, on the basis of the available data (and the scientists did not always agree!) However, it is politicians and governments who make decisions, taking other economic and social factors into the equation. If you don’t like government that is based on knowledge, then we suggest that it would be dangerous to try one that is based on ignorance! It is a pity that too few of our politicians have any scientific training, and few are able properly to weigh the evidence that they are given.

Instead of being fearful of science, we should thank God for this gift to humankind, and be grateful that we live in an ordered universe that we can strive to understand. Instead of haranguing secular scientists, maybe instead we should pray for more Christians to become scientists and glorify God in that vocation. There is arguably a greater need for Christians in the sciences than there is for Christian clergy! As one commentator on the original website wrote: ‘It would be wonderful if our politicians could trust God, act with integrity and “follow the science” ’.

As the Psalmist said (written above the door of the Cavendish Physics Laboratory in Cambridge) ‘Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.’ (Ps. 111:2).