BIS: ideology & science- topic 7 Flashcards
into: science as a belief system
science + technology have had an enormous impact on society, undermining relgioin + leading to a widespread ‘faith in science’.
The key feature of science is its cognitive power: science enables us to predict and control the world.
who came up the theory that science is an open belief system
Popper 1959
attributes of science being an open belief system
-open to criticism + testing
-science is based on the principle of falsification: scientists try to falsify existing theories by seeking evidence to disprove them. If evidence contradicts a theory, theory is disregarded + better one is sought. IN this way knowledge grows.
who came up with the CUDO norms
MERTON 1973
science is organised by set of norms
what do the CUDO norms stand for
Communism = knowledge must be shared with scientific community
Universalism = scientific knowledge is judged by universal, objective criteria
Disinterestedness = seeking knowledge for its own sake
Organised Scepticism = every theory is open to criticism + testing.
who distinguishes between open and. closed belief systems
HORTON 1970
like popper sees science as open belief system.
however religion is close belief system: it makes knowledge claims that cannot be overturned
what’s a closed belief system
-has ‘get out clauses’ that prevent it from being disproved in the eyes of its believers.
-Polanyi argues that belief systems have 3 devises to sustain themselves in face of contradictory evidence: circularity; subsidiary explanations + denying legitimacy to rival beliefs.
science as a closed belief system
-scientific paradigm Khun 1970 argues that science such as physics is based on a paradigm (shared set of assumptions)
-this tells scientists what reality is like, defining problems, methods, equipment + even likely research findings.
-most of the time, scientists are engaged in normal science within the paradigm
-scientists who challenge the paradigm are likely to be ridiculed- expect during periods of scientific revolution, when accumulated evidence undermines it.
The sociology of scientific knowledge
-Interpretivists argue that science knowledge is socially constructed
-Knorr-Cetina 1999 argues that scientists study in laboratory is highly contracted and removed from the natural world they are supposedly studying.
-Woolgar 1988 argues scientists have to persuade the scientific community to accept their interpretations of the world. A scientist fact is simply a shared socially constructed belief.
Marxism, Feminism and postmodernism
Marxism and feminism see science as serving the interests of dominant groups- the ruling class or men respectively.
Many scientific developments are driven by capitalisms needs for knowledge to make profit.
Postmodernists also reject sciences claims to have truth.
Some argue that science has become techno science serving capitalists interests by producing commodities for profit.
what does ideology mean
ideology refers to a belief system, worldview or set of ideas. The term often includes negative aspects
e.g. beliefs that are false or offer partial/bias view of reality ; conceal the interests of a group or legitimate inequalities; prevent change by misleading people about their situation; are irrational and close to criticism.
Marxism and ideology
-capitalists class exploit workers labour to produce profit.
-its in the workers interest to overthrow capitalism in revolution + create classless communist society. however revolution can only occur when they’re aware of the reality of their exploitation -class consciousness
-ruling-class ideology or hegemony (ideological leadership on society) prevents class consciousness developing by legitimating capitalism
-however ~Gramsci 1971 believes ultimately the working class will ovwerthrow capitalism led by a party of class-conscious ‘organic intellectuals’
what’s the ideology of nationalism
Nationalism is an important political ideology. it claims that nations are real communities, each with its own unique characteristics. However Anderson 2006 argues that a nation is only an ‘imagined community’ but nationalism can bind millions of strangers together and create a sense of common purpose.
ideology of nationalism - Marxists
see nationalism as false consciousness that helps to prevent the overthrow of capitalism by dividing the international working class
Ideology of nationalism - Functionalists
see nationalism as a secular civil religion that integrates everyone into a single community regardless of differences such as religion or class.
