As far as I can tell, it's not science and scientists who are the religious branch, but mostly philosophers, who have done very little experimenting in their life, if any. All scientists I know (personally), despite all of them being academics and not exactly trying to uncover the nature of reality, do "science proper." Well, this piece *was* inspired by professional academic philosophers I could witness on Twitter, Medium, or elsewhere.

It's about Philip Goff's petty crusade against experimental science and his accusations that scientists are adherents of scientism as if that was some dirty word. It's about people like Keith Frankish, who dismiss all what is not measurable, as well as it is about folks like Benjamin Cain, who obsess about cosmic horror, call personhood unnatural, and attempt to literally spawn a new religion. But it's also about John Vervaeke or Bernardo Kastrup who strive for the same and already build their cults. Literally. Well, at least Kastrup has some experimental, hands-on background even though it's a poor solace in his case.

So, for me, "You're a science-denier!" is not in the ball park of persecution of heretics. It's more in line with sayings such as, "You are a shovel-denier!" or "You are a knife-denier!" Or the one which is apparently Goff's favorite, "You have no clue how science works and what it is about." That one always sends him into butthurt tirades (see one of his latest videos where he attacks Sabine Hossenfelder). Pretty telling, if you ask me.