ABSTRACT
The scientism of psychology is motivated by a fear that the world cannot be mastered, i.e. known directly and certainly, without scientific method. What is manifested here is a desire for ‘presence’ where the world can be known in an unmediated way. This unmediated and therefore certain knowledge is considered possible in principle but, equally, the possibility of presence is thought of as always under threat; a threat whose source ultimately lies in mediation in its various forms.
