Beliefs - Ideology & Science - 5.8 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.
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.
Ideology
> Negative connotations e.g. false ideas/biased view of reality
> Conceals interests of powerful, legitimates inequalities, stops change
> Irrational & closed to criticism
Ideology (Key Studies)
> Marxism (Ideology)
> Mannheim (Ideology & Ideological & Utopian Belief Systems)
> Feminism (Ideology)
Marks (Feminism & Ideology)
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
AO3 (KS) Criticisms of Marxism & Ideology
Gramsci (Hegemony)
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
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
Marks - Feminism & Ideology
> 1800’s doctors had view educating women would lead to unfeminine women, preventing women from pursuing their true role
> So science used to justify excluding women from education
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
Nationalism (KS)
> Functionalism
Marxism
Gellner
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
