Science as Salvation: A Modern Myth and its Meaning

by Mary Midgley

What is the role of scientists in society? What should we think when they talk about more than just science? Mary Midgley discusses the high spiritual ambitions which tend to gather around the notion of science.

Genres: Philosophy, Science, Nonfiction, Theory, History Of Science

Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Mary Beatrice Midgley (née Scrutton; 13 September 1919 – 10 October 2018[1]) was a British philosopher. She was a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Newcastle University and was known for her work on science, ethics and animal rights. She wrote her first book, Beast And Man (1978), when she was in her fifties. She has since written over 15 other books, including Animals and Why They Matter (1983), Wickedness (1984), The Ethical Primate (1994), Evolution as a Religion (1985), and Science as Salvation (1992). She has been awarded honorary doctorates by Durham and Newcastle universities. Her autobiography, The Owl of Minerva, was published in 2005.

Midgley strongly opposed reductionism and scientism, and any attempts to make science a substitute for the humanities—a role for which it is, she argued, wholly inadequate. She wrote extensively about what philosophers can learn from nature, particularly from animals. A number of her books and articles discussed philosophical ideas appearing in popular science, including those of Richard Dawkins. She also wrote in favour of a moral interpretation of the Gaia hypothesis. The Guardian described her as a fiercely combative philosopher and the UK's "foremost scourge of 'scientific pretension.'"

Reviews

[Bahar Almasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I most appreciated about Mary Midgley’s Science as Salvation is the deliberate, step-by-step way she unfolds her argument. Rather than attacking science outright, she patiently exposes the psychological and historical roots of our misplaced faith in it. She begins by showing how, after the decline of organized religion in the modern West, science quietly inherited religion’s moral authority. Over time, it became not only a method of discovery but also a myth of salvation—a belief that progress, technology, and human control could redeem the world. Midgley reminds us that this shift was not inevitable; it was born of human longing for certainty, mastery, and meaning in an uncertain age.

Her analysis resonates strongly today. While reading, I realized that we may be living through a new kind of reaction to that same spiritual void. Despite the dominance of secular and technological culture, I’ve noticed a visible rise in religiosity—from the resurgence of traditional faiths to new-age spiritual movements and online forms of moral absolutism. This revival shows that people are still searching for meaning, belonging, and transcendence. Yet Midgley’s book also warns that this longing, if left unexamined, can easily reproduce the same errors, blind devotion, dogma, and division, except now under different banners. Whether our idol is a divine figure, a political ideology, or “Science” itself, the danger remains the same: the surrender of reflection to certainty.

This is where Midgley’s approach feels profoundly relevant and healing. She does not dismiss either science or spirituality; instead, she shows how both can serve humanity when guided by humility and imagination. Her vision teaches us to see knowledge as a dialogue rather than a conquest, and to value the moral and emotional dimensions of inquiry alongside its technical precision. If taken seriously, her work could help navigate this renewed hunger for meaning, steering it away from fanaticism and toward balance, empathy, and wisdom.

Ultimately, Science as Salvation is a guide for reconciling intellect and spirit. It invites us to cultivate a science with a soul, which hopefully deepens our connection to the Earth, to others, and to the mystery that still pulses through existence.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so incisive and somehow written with such razor wit while never wavering from academic precision and professionalism. I aspire one day to write as well and as perceptively as Mary Midgley.

[A.J. Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every person with unbounded faith in science needs to read this book.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Q quiere decir q vivimos en un mundo muy científico si nadie tiene ni zorra d ciencia realmente….gran narración de obviamente una MUJER d como todo el lenguaje de la ciencia no es para nada objetivo ni neutral y es profundamente misógino (‘dominar’, ‘penetrar’ la naturaleza…)
Buenísima la reflex q tb esta en Carolyn Merchant d la total absurdez de la separación mente cuerpo q solo tenia sentido si dios mediante un milagro las conectaba y ahora seguimos con esa metáfora asquerosa q hace q el mundo y la naturaleza q nos rodea se hipostaticen como algo totalmente ajeno a nosotros q debe ser explotado a nuestros gusto…q nos creemos el culo del mundo y vivimos en un antropocentrismo loco loco…
tb esta separación lleva a q lo más valorado actualmente sea la acumulación d información, lo cual no tiene sentido porq lo suyo es relacionarla poner orden no se q …. Pero bueno véase la IA a dia d hoy
Pues eso q las teorías científicas nunca son 4 números q siempre tienen una interpretación con unas metáforas y un lenguaje q se aleja mucho d la neutralidad y q además todo proyecto científico tocho está financiado x un hombre rico y blanco
Este mismo tipo d hombre construyó en el s 17 nuestro esquema mental o cosmovisión y la Mary lo q dice es X FAVOR VAMOS A PENSAR EN LOS PRESUPUESTOS DADOS X NUESTRO MUNDO XQ LOS HAY y si vivimos en el mundo sin pensarlos y sin estar aware de ellos las consecuencias pueden ser (y son) terribles

Pd-ojalá lo traduzcan pronto al español esta tía es lo más