Beliefs In Society - Ideology And Science Flashcards
What is a belief system?
A set of ideas that claim to have knowledge about reality
What is an example of a belief system?
Religion
What is an ideology?
A system of ideas & ideals especially one which forms the basis of economic/political theory & policy
What is an example of an ideology?
Communism vs Capitalism
What is rationalisation?
The action of attempting to explain/justify behaviour or an attitude with logical reasons, even if these aren’t appropriate
What are some examples of the impact of science on society?
Medicine (used to be seen as god’s punishment, now due to scientific prognosis & diagnosis)
Transport, communications, work, leisure & economic activity
Can help us make sense of the world outside of religious belief systems e.g. origin of life
What are the manufactured risks around science?
They can solve problems but can create problems e.g. engineering faults (Chernobyl) or environmental damage
How does the cognitive power of science impact society?
Enables us to explain, predict & control the world in which non/pre-scientific belief systems cannot do
Give an example of how the cognitive power of science can impact society?
Vessels being lost at sea:
Religious belief system: god sending winds etc. due to sin
Scientific belief system: lack of understanding of the tides/navigation
SOCIOLOGIST: How does Popper describe science as an open-belief system?
Scientific theories are open to scrutiny, criticism & testing by others
Falsification -> scientists deliberately seek evidence that disprove existing scientific theories
Scientific knowledge isnt absolute truth -> can always be questioned, criticised, tested & can be shown to be false
SOCIOLOGIST: What does Merton say about science as an open belief system?
Science can only thrive as a major social institution if it receives support from other institutions & values
Science as an institution needs an ethos/set of norms that makes scientists act in a way that serve the goal of increasing scientific knowledge
SOCIOLOGIST: What are the CUDOS norms proposed by Merton?
Communism
Universalism
Disinterestedness
Organised skepticism
What is the communism CUDOS norm?
Scientific knowledge isnt private property
What is the universalism CUDOS norm?
True or false scientific knowledge is judged by universal, objective criteria
What is the disinterestedness CUDOS norm?
Being committed to discovering for its own sake -> being neutral
What is the organised skepticism CUDOS norm?
No knowledge is regarded as sacred
What are the similarities between Merton’s CUDOS norms & Popper’s views as science as a belief system?
Both explain science as being available to scrutiny & not absolute truth
How is religion traditionally described as a closed belief system?
It is described as being perfect knowledge, not to be questioned/challenged & is fixed and doesn’t grow
Can religion still be considered to be a closed system in contemporary society?
It has softened to accommodate it e.g. the many different branches of religion
SOCIOLOGIST: What does Horton say about closed belief systems?
Whenever fundamental beliefs are threatened they have ‘get out clauses’ that reinforce the system & prevent it from being disproved
AO2: What is a case study around closed belief systems?
The Azande tribe -> witchcraft
SOCIOLOGIST: Who speaks about self-sustaining beliefs, and what do they say?
Polyani -> belief systems have 3 devices that sustain them when they face contradictory evidence
SOCIOLOGIST: Name & describe the 3 self-sustaining beliefs, proposed by Polyani?
Circularity: ideas go round & round
Subsidiary explanations: oracle failing is due to incorrect use of the benge
Denial & legitimacy to rivals: all belief systems reject alt worldviews -> refuse to grant legitimacy
What is a paradigm?
A shared set of assumptions about reality
SOCIOLOGIST: Who spoke about paradigms and what do they explain?
Kuhn -> mature sciences are based on them & provide a broad outline so scientists can fill the gaps (those that succeed are rewarded with bigger grants etc.)
Scientific training & education is socialised into faith in the paradigm -> those who challenge are subject to ridicule (rare exceptions can cause scientific revolutions (faith in the paradigm not unanimous)
EVALUATION: What do interpretivists criticise Kuhn’s views?
All knowledge is socially constructed, rather than objective groups truths social groups are created with available resources
Scientific facts = products of shared theories of paradigms (tell scientists what they expect to see)
EVALUATION: What is a criticism of Kuhn’s view from Karin Knott-Cetina?
Invention of new instruments e.g. microscopes permit scientists to make new observation & ‘fabricate’ facts
Labs are artificial & are removed from the natural world they claim to study
What do critical theories say about science?
Scientific knowledge is far from the truth & serves the dominant groups
What do Marxists say about science?
Driven by capitalism
What do feminists say about science?
Bio ideas are used to justify male domination -> creates ideology
What do postmodernists say about science?
Science is one of the metanarritives that claim the truth.
