Thus Saith the Science: C.S. Lewis on the Dangers of Scientism

Intelligent Design the Future

Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture

Science, Life Sciences, Society & Culture, Philosophy, Astronomy

4.3 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 28 November 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

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Summary

Progress is an appealing idea, but what happens when we do not all desire the same things? On this ID The Future, we mark the 60th anniversary of the death of British writer C. S. Lewis as host Andrew McDiarmid concludes a conversation with Dr. John West about Lewis's prophetic warnings to us about science and scientism. Dr. West explains how scientism harms real scientific progress and leads to moral relativism. And he discusses how we can bring science back into alignment with older, deeper human truths. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.

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0:00.0	ID The Future, a podcast about evolution and intelligent design.
0:12.0	Welcome to ID the Future. I'm your host, Andrew McDermott.
0:16.2	Today I conclude my conversation with Dr. John West,
0:19.7	discussing British writer C.S. Lewis's prophetic legacy for today regarding science.
0:25.9	Dr. West is vice president and a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, where he serves as managing director of the Institute's Center for Science and Culture.
0:35.3	His current research examines the impact of science and
0:38.5	scientism on public policy and culture. Dr. West has written or edited 12 books, including
0:45.3	most recently the expanded edition of Darwin Day in America, How Our Politics and Culture
0:50.8	have been dehumanized in the name of science. The magician's twin, C.S. Lewis on science,
0:56.7	Scientism, and Society, and Walt Disney and live action.
1:01.1	Dr. West has also directed and written several documentaries,
1:04.8	including two on C.S. Lewis.
1:07.1	The magician's twin, C.S. Lewis in the case against scientism,
1:10.6	and the magician's twin, C.S. Lewis, in the case against Scientism, and the magician's twin, C.S. Lewis, an intelligent design.
1:15.4	In part one, Dr. West unpacked some of Lewis's views on science, and he explains what scientism is.
1:22.6	The idea that modern science, particularly modern physical science, is the only way that we know truth,
1:29.0	that it's our only source of truth about the natural world, about ourselves, about life.
1:34.4	We talked about an essay Lewis wrote called Willing Slaves of the Welfare State,
1:39.4	including Lewis's views about science progressing without ethics, and governments becoming technocracies,
1:45.8	beholden to the scientists, while citizens lose freedom and privacy. Dr. West discussed the
1:52.3	COVID pandemic and how that public health crisis revealed much of what Lewis warns against.
1:58.3	On this episode, Dr. West explains how
	...

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