Eric Weil and the (non)meaning of a world shaped by Science

Abstract

Based on the work of Eric Weil, this article analyzes the historical conditions for the emergence and evolution of modern science, reflecting on its meaning for our civilization. Divided into three distinct parts, the text begins by investigating the historical circumstances that gave rise to modern science and its progress until it became the basis of the “Cartesian dream”. It then examines the paradox inherent in the modern conception of science, highlighting its supposed “axiological neutrality”. This paradox is evident when the freedom of science from value considerations is itself considered a fundamental value. In this context, one must simultaneously recognize the importance of science in controlling nature and history and its insufficiency in dealing with the question of the meaning of this domain. Finally, the text addresses the common reactions to the challenge of the meaning of science: scientism and scientific denialism. The latter argument is developed within the framework of the relationship between philosophy and science.