Beliefs and Society: Topic 7- Ideology and science Flashcards
Science as a belief system
What does Popper argue about open belief systems?
Science is an open belief system because its open to scrutiny, criticism and testing using falsification
Science as a belief system
What does Merton argue about the 4 CUDOS norms?
These allow others to test criticises and change:
* Communism: science data is shared to grow
* Universalism: Scientific knowledge is judged by universal criteria
* Disinteredness: Publishing findings so it can be falsified by others
* Organised scepticism: All ideas are open to questioning or criticism
Science as a belief system
What does Horton argue about closed belief systems?
Religion, magic and other belief systems are closed. The claims cannot be overturned
Science as a belief system
What is Evans-Pritchards study on witchcraft among the Azande?
- Witchcraft is useful for the azande as it provides a value consensus and to ask accused for no further bewitching
- E-P argues that it clears the air and encourages neighbours to behave considerately to reduce risk of being accused
- They’re not open to change, challenge, criticism
Science as a belief system
What does Polanyi argue about self-sustaining beliefs?
How belief systems stay closed
Argues that belief systems have 3 devices to sustain themselves when presented with contradictionary evidence:
* Circularity: Each idea is explained in terms of another idea. E.g. Evil in religion
* Subsidary explanations: Can be explained in another way E.g. benge (witch)
* Denial of legitimacy to rivals: Reject worldviews by refusing to grant any legitmiacy to their assumptions
Science as a belief system
What is an example science is a closed system?
Charles Darwin, his discovery was met with backlash by religious community before it was accepted
Science as a belief system
What does Kuhn argue about science as a closed belief system?
- He argues science rejects some theories as science operates under a shared set of assumptions (paradigm)
- Tells scientists what do study, the method, and equipment used and if not they will be ridiculed
Science as a belief system
Who argues all knowledge socially constructed?
Interpretivists
Science as a belief system
What does Foucault argue about scientific knowledge?
That is produced by social groups often by those in power. It can be used as a tool by the powerful to legitmate scientific knowledge
Ideology
Marxists ideology
- Ruling class controls material production and means of id
