Philosopher Bo Winegard was once a believer in the doctrine of scientism, that the only path to truth about the world is by science. By "science" these proponents typically mean the natural sciences, but it is possible to fudge things and claim that the social science must be included. I think this is unavoidable for them, and ultimately sinks their entire fleet, as so much absurdity goes on in postmodern sociology and cultural studies, that really anything goes.
Winegard makes the point that scientism is by definition reductionistic and hence does not account for much in the world: "Indeed, a hallmark of scientism is its capacious view of science as encompassing any rational, skeptical, and empirical attempt to engage with the world. As Sam Harris observed, "When you are adhering to the highest standards of logic and evidence, you are thinking scientifically." For this very reason, proponents of scientism believe that embracing the methods of science can liberate many unproductive fields—such as moral philosophy—from the stifling fetters of antiquated norms and ideas.
But this is a vain hope, and the project of scientism is doomed. Its central mission—to extend science into fields as distant from physics and chemistry as literary studies and art criticism—can succeed only by disfiguring reality on a Procrustean bed of scientific hubris. For reality is replete with entities, agents, minds, morals, and meanings that cannot be subdued by science. There is more in heaven and earth than is dreamt of in our (natural) philosophy.
Pluralism must prevail. Poetry, literature, art, and music bring us into contact with the profound mystery of existence. They do not merely provide fleeting experiences; they offer transformative encounters with reality, yielding wisdom and insights inaccessible through science alone.
None of this, of course, is meant to diminish science. If one wishes to predict the path of a bowling ball or the trajectory of a storm, to understand the progression of a disease or the causes of a death, to send a rocket to the moon or to estimate the distance of a star, science is indispensable. The Scientific Revolution—and the West's continued commitment to rigorous, intrepid exploration of the universe—has eradicated many stifling superstitions and lifted humanity from a mire of ignorance to the heights of enlightenment."
As well, there is the issue of God and the universe, and of course, scientism is atheistic, or at best agnostic. Yet that too must be a fundamental limit of its philosophy, for it must beg the question at issue, claiming that as there is no evidence for the existence of God, that they accept, then God does not exist. Turning the tables we would argue that there are good philosophical grounds for believing in the existence of God, hence scientism is false!
https://www.aporiamagazine.com/p/the-struggle-against-scientism