Beliefs - Ideology & Science - 5.7 Flashcards
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.
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’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.
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.
Marxism & Ideology
> Tool of ruling class to keep power/reproduce inequality
> Working class must achieve class consciousness & reality of exploitation
> But ruling class control production & ideas justify status quo, legitimates capitalism so stops working class developing class consciousness
General Criticisms of Marxism & Ideology
Not ideology stopping overthrow of capitalism, but economic factors e.g. fear of unemployment
Gramsci (Hegemony)
> Working class can create ideas to challenge hegemony, they’ve got dual consciousness aware of exploitation & ideology
> So can develop class consciousness overthrowing capitalism.
Mannheim - General View on Ideology
> All world views product of intellectuals unable to relate to everyday
> Ideas reflect personal interests
Mannheim’s 2 Belief Systems
> Ideological
Utopian
> Utopian
Ideological - Mannheim’s 2 Belief Systems
> Justifies position of ruling class & tradition, stopping change
> As those controlling ideology benefit from status quo
Utopian - Mannheim’s 2 Belief Systems
> Wants social change, reflects position of working class
> Offers vision of alternative organisation of society
Mannheim’s - Implications of Ideological & Utopian Belief Systems
> Need for detachment from them creating objective world view
> Universal & represents whole society, made by free-floating intelligentsia
Feminism & Ideology
> Ideology promotes patriarchy for generations & legitimates gender inequality
> Religious beliefs see women as inferior e.g. periods mean they are excluded from rituals
Criticisms of Feminism & Ideology
> Not all religions subordinate women e.g. goddesses before monotheistic patriarchal religion
> Matriarchal religion with female deities were common
Ideology of Nationalism
> Nations, real communities with unique characteristics
> But only imagined community
can bind people together & create social solidarity
Functionalism - Ideology of Nationalism
> e.g. Bellah - Civil Religion
> In modernity people unwilling to be part of religion, but will be part of a nation.
> Increased different faiths in modernity so religion means we are divided which leads to nationalism - which then leads to greater social solidarity
Functionalism - Education & Nationalism
Education creates social solidarity with collective rituals and symbols e.g. flag, learning nations history
Marxism - Ideology of Nationalism
> Nationalism is false consciousness, spreads belief among the working class so they have more in common with capitalists in their own country rather than those internationally
> Enables ruling class to persuade working class to fight wars on their behalf
Gellner (Nationalism)
> Industrialisation means increased scale, impersonal societies with complex division of labour
> Education imposes national culture on all and
makes communication & economic cooperation with people possible
> Upper class use it to motivate people to deal with industrial changes, allows modernisation of state
Definitions of Religion
> Substantive
Functional
Constructionist (Interpretivist)
Substantive definition of religion
> Looks at key features, shared by major religions, exclusive in nature
> As belief systems can only be religions with particular features e.g. belief in a god.
Criticisms of Substantive Definitions of Religion
> Ethnocentric only looks at western religions
> Excludes belief systems with similar functions to religion, but without a supernatural god e.g. Buddhism
Functional definition of Religion
Looks at religions functions for society e.g. brings comfort or reinforces inequalities.
Criticisms of Functional Definition of Religion
> Too inclusive any belief system seen as religion if does have the functions.
> e.g. supporting footy team has these functions but don’t make it a religion
Constructionist (Interpretivist)
> Focus on definition of religion as constructed & disputed, so definition of religion based on who’s got power
> e.g. members of scientology see it as a religion, but with many disagreeing
Criticisms of Constructionist Definition of Religion
Can’t generalise on nature of religion as people have different views
