YR2 BELIEFS: ideology & science Flashcards
(28 cards)
what benefits did rationalism / faith in science bring about for society?
- health advances
- technological advances
- economic advances
How does POPPER define open belief systems?
systems that are open to scrutiny. they can be challenged + tested by others and are governed by falsification.
What does Merton call the 4 norms that science has, which ensure scientists are always striving to improve scientific knowledge?
the CUDOS norms
what does CUDOS stand for? - Merton
Communism
Universalism
Disinterestedness
Organised Scepticism
explain communism as an element of scientists’ CUDOS norms
scientific knowledge must be shared by scientists with the scientific community. If they do not publish findings knowledge cannot grow
explain universalism as an element of scientists’ CUDOS norms
the truth / falsity of scientific knowledge is judged by universal objective criteria and not by the particular race or sex by the scientist who produces it
explain disinterestedness as an element of scientists’ CUDOS norms
this means being committed to discovering knowledge for its own sake. having to publish their findings makes it harder for scientists to practice fraud, since it enables others to check their claims.
explain organised scepticism as an element of scientists’ CUDOS norms
no knowledge claim is regarded as ‘sacred’. every idea is open to questioning, criticism + objective investigation
do the CUDOS norms indicate that science is an open or closed belief system?
open
how does HORTON define closed belief systems?
belief systems that claim absolute truth + divine authority. beliefs cannot be changed or challenged and therefore are fixed. This includes most religious belief
which case study acts as an example of a closed belief system?
Witchcraft Among the Azande - Evans Pritchard 1937
summarise the Witchcraft Among the Azande case study
belief system of magic, oracles and witchcraft. believe when misfortune occurs someone is practicing witchcraft against them. Benge potion (poison) is given to a chicken - if chicken dies they demand the witchcraft to stop. closed belief system - they always have an explanation (witchcraft)
Polanyi argues that closed belief systems always have 3 devices to sustain themselves when they face contradictory evidence. What are they? (name them)
- circulatory device
- subsidiary evidence
- denial of legitimacy to rivals
explain circulatory as a closed belief system device to use against opposition
each idea in the system is explained in terms of another idea. the ideas are all connected in one big circle
explain subsidiary evidence as a closed belief system device to use against opposition
these are back up explanations used if one explanation fails
explain denial of legitimacy to rivals as a closed belief system device to use against opposition
alternative views are rejected and there is a strong refusal to grant any alternate views any form of legitimacy
does Polanyi think that science is an open or closed belief system?
closed
explain how science could be seen as a closed belief system using Kuhn’s concept of paradigms
scientific education / training is a process of being socialised into faith in the truth of a paradigm, and a successful career depends on working within the paradigm. Any scientist who challenges the fundamental assumptions of the paradigm, is likely to be ridiculed + hounded out of the profession. closed belief system.
how could the case of the little green men be used to support the interpretivist claim that scientific knowledge is a social construction ?
scientists originally named pulsating neuron stars ‘ little green men’ (alien joke). but scientists criticised this as it wasn’t a ‘sophisticated’ name, so the scientists changed it.
why do interpretivists argue that scientific knowledge is socially constructed?
‘facts’ are the product of a shared paradigm. most research is done in laboratories - far removed from the natural world.
why do Marxists and Feminists reject scientific knowledge?
they regard it as serving the interests of the dominant groups (the ruling class/men). many advances in ‘pure’ science have been driven by the need of capitalism for certain types of knowledge
why do postmodernists reject scientific knowledge?
they argue science is one of a number of meta-narratives that falsely claim to possess the truth. other meta-narratives include religion, marxism etc. Science is just a discourse used to control people
what is the basic ideology of ideology?
it is a worldview or a set of ideas and values
give an example of an ideology
Marxism
Feminism
Conservatism
