Swift, Gulliver, and the Enlightenment “Science Wars”

Abstract

This article is based on the premise that the satire contained in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels is not an attack on science itself, but rather a critique of the processes leading to its dogmatization, its detachment from the practical needs of society, and its susceptibility to political manipulation. By employing the conventions of satire, Swift highlights the new idols of philosophy, emphasising the dangers of fetishising progress, formalism, and technocratic thinking. The aim of this article is to reconstruct the context of the philosophical critique of scientific culture contained in Gulliver’s Travels, with particular attention to the issue of science’s social responsibility. From this perspective, his critique of ideological scientism—defined as the belief that science occupies an absolute position, possessing exceptional epistemological and ethical authority—remains relevant in discussions concerning contemporary technoscience. Swift’s critique anticipates current debates on the social responsibility of science, arguing that the value of scientific endeavours should not be assessed solely through the lens of novelty or progress, but should also take into account their social utility and contribution to the common good. Swift’s satire should therefore be understood not as an attempt to discredit the value of science, but as a coherent critique of scientism and technocratic ideology.