Beliefs In Society

Question 1

Toteism

Answer 1

Belief that natural phenomena are made up of spirits and souls which can affect society

Question 2

Atheism

Answer 2

Belief that no god or supernatural being exists

Question 3

Agnostism

Answer 3

Neither a belief in nor a denial of god or other supernatural beliefs. They’re prepared to believe if evidence is produced

Question 4

Monotheism

Answer 4

Belief in one god

Question 5

Polythesicm

Answer 5

Belief in more than one god

Question 6

Supernatural

Answer 6

Belief that science and rationality cannot explain all events and experiences

Question 7

Functionalist view on religion

Answer 7

• religon is a conservative force
• promotes social harmony, integration and solidarity through value consensus

Question 8

Durkheim on religon

Answer 8

• religion helps to integrate people into society through value consensus
  -all societies divide into sacred and profane

Question 9

Berger and luckmann (1967)

Answer 9

The social construction of reality- beliefs are formed in a context e.g. a certain time and place

Question 10

Ideology

Answer 10

An ideology is a set of opinions or beliefs of a group or an individual

Question 11

The enlightenment

Answer 11

Intellectual and cultural movement in the 18th century that emphasised reason over superstition and science over blind faith

Question 12

Karl Popper

Answer 12

-Science is governed by falsificationism
- there is no absolute truth
- knowledge grows through an objective system of theory testing
- science is an open belief system based on data and information whereas religion is a closed one

Question 13

Merton (1973)

Answer 13

• science could only work in democratic societies as they could uphold the Ethos of Modern Science

Question 14

Falsificationism

Answer 14

A scientific philosophy based on the requirement that hypothesis must be falsifiable in order to be scientific

Question 15

Universalism

Answer 15

Scientific claims must be held to objective and pre-established impersonal criteria

Question 16

Communality

Answer 16

Finding of science are common property to the scientific community and that scientific progress relies on open communication and open sharing

Question 17

Disinterestedness

Answer 17

Science should limit the influence of bias as much as possible and should be done for the sake of science rather than self-interest or power

Question 18

Organised skepticism

Answer 18

The necessity of proof or verification subjects science to more scrutiny than any other field. This norm points once again to peer review and value reproducibility