Beliefs in Society- Ideology, Science and Religion Flashcards
Explain ‘Theistic’ religion.
Theistic religions are:
- Centred on a belief in a higher power
- This could be one God (monotheistic) or many Gods (polytheistic)
- This higher power is always sacred to the religion
Explain Animism.
Animism is the belief in spirits and ghosts, that can positively or negatively impact the human world.
Explain Totemism.
Totemism is a form of animism focused on the worship of a symbol (usually an animal or plant) that represents the group. The symbol is often thought to protect the group and is therefore believed to be sacred.
Explain New Age Movements.
New Age Movements are a spiritual, rather than religious, belief that focuses more on self-development and fulfilment rather than a devotion to a higher power.
What is an Ideology?
An ideology is a set of beliefs and values that usually revolve around a core principle, which is essentially the same as a ‘belief system’.
What is the traditional view of Science?
Science is the pursuit of facts and objectivity.
It aims to identify cause and effect relationships that can be reliably tested.
After the Enlightenment, science replaced religion as the dominant ideology in Western societies.
Explain why some think science is replacing religion.
Science has led to technological and medical advances.
Some argue that the reasons science has replaced religion as the main belief system is due to its open nature, meaning it is open to questioning whereas religion is sometimes argued to have a closed belief system that is not open to interpretation.
Explain science as an open belief system.
Popper believes that science has become the dominant belief system in the western world because it has an open system, meaning that it is open to being criticised and challenged.
He argues that science is built upon ‘falsification’.
This means that all who believe in science attempt to challenge pre-existing theories and knowledge with the aim of testing its findings.
If a theory is proven wrong, another theory replaces it.
Explain science as a closed belief system.
Kuhn believes that science as a discipline is actually a closed belief system due to the paradigms that dominate it.
A paradigm is a pre-existing framework that does not encourage freedom of thought.
Those who follow the guidelines tend to be rewarded, whereas those who question how science should work tend to be ridiculed and marginalised.
Explain religion as a closed belief system.
Many religions claim that they hold the monopoly on the truth.
This means they believe they have the only correct worldview.
It is argued that this prevents change, as the traditional values of the religion are not flexible.
What is secularisation?
Some sociologists believe that this lack of flexibility has led to a decline in religious beliefs in some societies which is known as secularisation.
What are theoretical views of ideology?
Both science and religion are ideologies as they are sets of beliefs, based around core principles.
After the Enlightenment, science replaced religion as the dominant ideology in Western societies.
Within the field of sociology, there are different views on the purpose and relevancy of ideologies generally.
What is the Marxist view on ideology?
Marxist's believe all ideologies, including science and religion, are manipulated by the ruling class to maintain and reproduce social class inequality. They are in place to justify the capitalist system and prevent a working class revolution. This feeds into the proletariats false class consciousness.
What is the Feminist view on ideology?
Feminists believe that all ideologies such as science and religion have promoted patriarchy in society for generations.
Science and religion become male stream as they defined the male position of power by representing women as weak and impure.
What is the Postmodernist view on ideology?
They claim any ideology that seeks to explain ‘truth’ is a ‘meta-narrative’ due to the fragmentation of society.
These meta-narratives are dangerous as they do not allow for individual thought and free will.
