Materialism; man as an object of science

In this post I want to look at what happens in the fields of political theory and sociology when the methodology of the hard sciences is applied to human beings.

Quotes and comments.

A. 'The historicist conception of "socio-cultural phenomena" does not permit the acceptance of societal structures of individuality, which, as such, are not subject to historical development...' [1. for full quotation]

- I apologize for the difficult language of this quote, but the basic point isn't hard to understand. I think we see here why the scientist and the academic (who imagines he's doing science) prefers to think in terms of classes rather than individuals. They imagine they can treat the class 'scientifically' while they admit they can't treat the individual (qua individual) scientifically. (Only by studying the class, and drawing up 'laws' from that study can one then use those laws to deal with the individual... who isn't seen as being himself, but merely a class representative.)

We see here yet again how scientism is at war with the individual. (Not only the individual, but with relationships, marriage, family, small groups, etc.) It insists on dealing with classes and so murders the individual. (e.g. Marxism) This is done in the name of methodology. The class is held up as the true expression of the human... and all for the sake of doing science. As Lyell said Uniformitarianism was necessary for science, so Marx claimed that the class concept was necessary for science. (i.e. for the 'soft' sciences.)

The Biblical view is a lot different; and again it protects us from the fallacies and delusions of Humanist thought. The creationist model isn't obsessed with turning everything into hard science. It denies that methodological naturalism be applied to all things, and most especially to human beings. Man is not to be analyzed in terms of class. The individual man is not to be sacrificed for the sake of methodology. What's important is the truth; not making things easy for scientists. (In sociology we see scientism gone mad. To be able to deal with man 'scientifically' it turns him into an object.)

It's heresy to treat man as a scientific object; as an object of scientific study. (It's also an illusion, as the 'man' the deal with is a phantasm, an empty abstraction. He's as unreal as one of the 'worker' posters that use to foul the soviet union; one of the tractor men and hammer wielding women.) Man is thus sacrificed on the altar of scientism. (The analysis that comes out of such mistaken notions is at best worthless; but unfortunately has been deeply pernicious, leading to the deaths of untold millions in the communist experiments near and far.)

Communism is a classic case of scientism.

B. 'Man does not exist for the sake of any form of society.' [2.]

- Man is a separate creation; therefore he can't be treated as just one more object for scientific (naturalistic) study. Man is the only creature made in the image of God; therefore he cannot be treated as just one more object of animal studies. What turns science (the investigation of creation) into scientism is this insistence on treating all entities in the universe in the same way. (ie. seeing them as matter in motion) At the heart of scientism is the method of naturalism (methodological naturalism as some have called it). Taking the bible seriously (as the word of god, and thus as truth about the reality of our situation) forbids us from applying this methodology to human beings.

Summary;
If man is merely a member of a class he must look for 'salvation' in politics, and in the State. This is just one more negative consequence of scientism. (i.e. materialism leads to scientism leads to class analysis leads to the apotheosis of the state.) We end up going down (and it is down) this long road because we've rejected biblical Christianity (with its foundation in creation). It's true that all things are connected; but not in the way the pantheists believe. All things are connected because all things were made by god (and for god).

At the heart of biblical Christianity is man's relationship with his Creator. Any system (or science) that denies him the right to live in conformity with God's word is anti-Christian. When the materialist denies God exists, and removes it from any consideration in intellectual thought, he can no longer be right about any of his ultimate conclusions. The deification of the state, and the death of man is the inevitable result of a consistent materialism.


Notes;
1. 'The historicist conception of "socio-cultural phenomena" does not permit the acceptance of societal structures of individuality, which, as such, are not subject to historical development, since they are exactly the transcendental conditions for every possible experience of factual societal relationships. - The Christian philosophy of law, politics and the state' - E.L. Hebden Taylor/p.403
2. 'Man does not exist for the sake of any form of society.' - Riessen CP/413
- Man does not exist for the sake of the state, nor does he exist for the sake of science. (Scientists have such an exalted view of themselves in our day that you sometimes get the impression the universe exists merely so that they can study it, and have something to do.) To treat man as an object of scientific study is to make science (scientism) more important than the creature being studied. In Christian terms what we want is knowledge, not to practice science. We already know who man is, we don't need to study him as if he were some strange deep sea fish that's recently been discovered. Shall we murder man just to give some people a job? Is there nothing else they can do but to fabricate fallacious theories about this creature, and thus lead people astray? (They can't possibly comprehend Man they have a false idea of his origin.)

3. For those who are interested in studying the subject in greater depth, I recommend the chapter 'The christian view of the state' in 'The Christian philosophy of the law, the state and politics' by Hebden Taylor [It's around 100 pages long.]

4. 'The common error of both individualism and collectivism, in typically humanistic fashion, is that they take their starting point in man, whether that be the individual or the group. The biblical view of man in society transcends this dilemna.
In the light of the Word of God we know that God created man for community with his fellow men and as a social being. This means that man does not find his purpose in himself as Locke supposed nor in the group as Karl Marx supposed but in the God who made him.' - CP/p.423