Beliefs - Ideology & Science - 5.8 Flashcards
(51 cards)
Impact of Science on Religion
> Huge impact, undermined religion and led to widespread faith in science
> Key feature is cognitive power, allows us to explain, predict & control world
Criticisms of Impact of Science on Religion
Science causes issues, as well as solving them e.g. manufactured risks e.g. pollution, global warming etc.
Science as a Belief System (Key Studies)
> Popper (Science as Open Belief System)
> Merton (Significance of CUDOS Norms)
> Horton (Reg as Closed Belief System)
> Evans-Pritchard (Azande as Closed Belief System)
> Polanyi (Self Sustaining Beliefs))
> Interpretivism (Sociology of Scientific Knowledge)
> Cetina (Sociology of Scientific Knowledge)
> Woolgar (Little Green Men)
> Marxist & Feminist (Views on Science)
> Lyotard (Postmodernism views on Science)
Popper (Science as Open Belief System)
> Open to challenge, based on falsification, not absolutism
> If theories proven wrong discarded & better one is found so knowledge increased
Merton (Significance of CUDOS Norms)
> Science is an organised social activity with a set of norms promoting cumulation of knowledge, encouraging openness.
> E.g. during Protestant Reformation Puritans saw studying nature allows appreciation God’s work
> Encourages experimentation
Merton’s CUDOS Norms
> Communism
Universalism
Disinterestedness
Organised Scepticism
Communism - CUDOS Norms
Scientific knowledge shared, not private, allows for growth of knowledge
Universalism - CUDOS Norms
All scientists are equal - work should be challenged not scientists themselves e.g. use of universal objective criteria
Disinterestedness - CUDOS Norms
Science is committed to truth, have to publish findings, makes fraud harder others check claims
Organised Scepticism - CUDOS Norms
No claim is sacred, all open to challenge, critique & objective investigation
Polanyi - Criticisms of Science as Open Belief System
All belief systems reject fundamental challenges to knowledge claims, science isn’t different
Horton - Religion as Closed Belief System
> Claims absolute truth about world with get out clauses stops disproval
> Conservative beliefs & fixed, means knowledge claims can’t be disproven
Pritchard & Azande as Closed Belief System
> Don’t believe in coincidences, see witchcraft as misfortune & proof from potion given to chickens
> Irrational to an outsider but indoctrinated in tribe
> No one questions it, & not disprovable even with evidence.
Social Implications of Azande
> Encourages neighbours treat each other nicely avoid risk of accusation.
> Belief inherited to children to keep parents in line as accusations damage the children’s reputation
Polanyi – Self Sustaining Beliefs (3 Main Features of Closed Belief Systems for protection from challenge)
> Denial of Legitimacy
Subsidiary Explanations
Circularity
Denial of Legitimacy - 3 Main Features of Closed Belief Systemv for protection from challenge
Full rejection of rival claims to convince followers only they hold truth.
Subsidiary Explanations - 3 Main Features of Closed Belief System for protection from challenge
Get out clauses deflect argument or counter criticisms
Circularity - 3 Main Features of CBS for protection from challenge
Each idea in system explained with another idea in system etc.
Science as Closed Belief System (Kuhn)
> Based on pardiagms (shared beliefs) methods, equipment etc
> Socialises new scientists into the paradigm with scientific education
> Scientists stay within it, people challenging it are ridiculed
Interpretivism (Sociology of Scientific Knowledge)
> Scientific Knowledge is socially constructed not objective, a product of the resources available to the group creating it.
> Facts are the result of shared theories showing what they expect to see
Cetina (Sociology of Scientific Knowledge)
> New instruments e.g. telescopes allows for new observations & fabrication of facts
> Studies in lab highly constructed & detached from natural word- apparently being studied
Woolgar (Little Green Men)
> Scientists engaged in the process of understanding world, like us,
> Scientific facts are socially constructed scientists try to persuade colleagues to share them
> e.g. discovery of Little Green Men would’ve been unacceptable to scientific community so decide it’s an unknown type of star.
Marxist & Feminist views on Science
> Lies - serving interests of powerful - scientific advances are driven by capitalism.
> e.g. development of theory of ballistics due to need for manufacturing & selling new weaponry.
> Biological ideas used to justify male domination
Lyotard (Postmodern views on Science)
> Another meta-narrative falsely claiming truth on worlds functioning for progression to better society
> Scientific thinking used to dominate people
> Technology/ science serves capitalist interests creating commodities for profit.
