TWU Today Archives Part 3: My first apologetics article ever in which I demolish scientism! (Not really.)

In this installment of my dive into the TWU Today newspaper archives I have my first apologetics article ever! Published on October 10, 1995, it’s a critique of the skeptic community’s uncritical acceptance of scientism. My proximate target is Skeptical Inquirer, a publication of CSI (originally CSICOP).

The first thing you can see (if you can read the tiny font) is that I use big words like “epistemology” and “ontology”. I definitely wear my new found learning on my sleeve.

Second, while I allegedly critique Skeptical Inquirer, I give no evidence that I’ve actually read the magazine. Clearly it’s nothing more here than a cipher, a sort of punching bag for my broad and protean criticisms of “scientism”.

Third, there is a smarmy, superior tone that lacks any nuance and fails to find any good in Skeptical Inquirer. And had I actually read the magazine (I suspect I didn’t; if I did, it was without charity) I would have found much to admire and much with which I could agree.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. I meant well (more or less) and I do offer some cautionary criticisms of a facile acceptance of scientism. Nonetheless, after reading this I still want to give my 1995 self a good cuff on the ear.