Is there a term for the belief that science provides no knowledge at all even empirical?
I'm arguing with someone who claims that the alternative is just "positivism".
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Sign up to join this communityIs there a term for the belief that science provides no knowledge at all even empirical?
I'm arguing with someone who claims that the alternative is just "positivism".
I have used "skepticism" in the past.
If you hold "knowledge" to the typical standard of "justified true belief," the real question is what qualifies as "justified." Skeptics question the validity of justifications, which in the case of science are in the form of "past performance guarantees future results."
The other approach may be to check to see if you both agree on what "knowledge" means. Many people consider the track record of science to be so stellar that it is valid to define "knowledge" in such a way that science can produce it. It really all depends on your definitions.
Pseudo-science has been used. Also, if you want to personalize it you can refer to an "intellectual swindler." I have also heard "ideology" used in this sense with a negative connotation. Surely, any good positivist believes there are false sciencees that parade around as the real thing!