Scientism > Considered one of the world's leading experts in his field... He is a pioneer of "meta-science," the scientific study of scientific methods themselves, primarily in clinical medicine and the social sciences... His collective research, published in 2006 under the title "Why Most Published Research Findings Are False," was dynamite to the foundations of scientific publications (and therefore, scientific truths) throughout the Western world. However, not only was it impossible to challenge his findings, but they are now considered one of the top studies of all time in terms of recognition and citations...

However, when he demonstrated that the mortality rate from COVID-19 (without intervention methods) was much lower than officially claimed internationally, and therefore that all restrictive measures and the resulting fear were a sham, he was treated as a "paid puppet"... (Retrospectively, this research is considered one of the top 20 studies of all time!)

His name is John Ioannidis, and the last thing he needs (or we would offer) is defense! He doesn't need it. However, he represents a real-life, living, and highly recognizable example/ominous answer to the question: "What is science in today's capitalist world?" Essentially, because both "experts" during the recent scare campaign, all kinds of demagogues, but also the vast majority of ignorant people who followed them like blind men in Hades, hid behind the word "science" to crush anyone who questioned them, whether it was Ioannidis (and others of similar stature) or any ordinary person somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa.

In an attempt to answer the question "What is science... from a sociological and ideological perspective," some bold individuals have concluded that, over the past few decades, scientism has flourished (in capitalist societies, especially Western ones). This is an ideology that effectively mythologizes anything labeled as "science," a fetish that has eroded not only general social relationships but also, specifically, those who wear any kind of "scientific badges" on their sleeves.

There are several powerful factors contributing to the rise of "scientism" and, essentially, the erosion of critical thinking, which was once (but decades ago!) considered the foundation of all science. First, the massification of higher education (which was the system's response to the challenges of the 1960s and 70s) created a general and widespread idea of "specialization" within capitalist societies, leading any "science" or specialization to become a social status fetish.

Second, the dissemination of various technological "wonders" into the market and consumption transformed (abstractly) technology into a crucial factor in everyday life; without it, life, socialization, etc., are no longer conceivable.

Finally, but not insignificantly: the massification of private/business funding for scientific research (while public funding has significantly declined: neoliberalism...) "tied" the supposed "scientific validity" to demagoguery, propaganda, etc.: from cheap television programs about everything (mainly "health and beauty topics"... ) to commercial advertising, and from seismologists to...

When John Ioannidis (and many others recognized as such) were violently attacked "in the name of science," what was happening was far more serious than the fate of one individual or another. What was happening was that within the fabricated dichotomy of "science versus populism," scientism became just another version of properly guided populism!

Someone might say: "It's not populism. It's democratization!" In what sense is the phrase "vaccines are new technology, therefore they are good" democratic? In what sense is the news "quantum teleportation has been achieved for the first time" - period?

Is there a fundamental element in the rise of scientism? Yes, and it can be found in the origins of capitalist technological demonstrations intended for "public use": in the great industrial exhibition held initially at Crystal Palace in London in 1851, which subsequently toured various other capitals.

It was the mechanical ("armed") parade of capital and its capabilities. Then and now. It's the same thing today: Scientism doesn't popularize; it dazzles, enchants, and disciplines...

Z.S.