Ideology + Science Flashcards
Ideology + Science - Belief - Belief Systems
• Set of principles helping us understand the world + reality
• Religion + Science aid our understanding
• Both have a neg effect on world
- Science –> global warming
- Religion–> Violent conflict
• Science is an open belief system
• Religion is a closed belief system
Ideology + Science - Belief - Science as an Open Belief System - Popper
Open Belief system = Open to scrutiny, criticism + testing
• Popper –> Findings of scientists are Open to criticism + falsification
- prove others theories wrong to find better explanation
- Science knowledge is cumulative- aim to build on previous findings
Ideology + Science - Belief - Science as an Open Belief System - Cudos
• Scientists unified by same norms + values
- Communism –> believe work should be shared with everyone
- Universalism –> should be objective
- Disinterestedness –> Science acts in interest of soc, not indiv
- Organised scepticism –> every idea open to criticism
Ideology + Science - Beliefs - Religion as a closed belief system - Horton
Closed belief system = unopened to criticism
• Religion claims to hold absolute truths given by God
- God’s work is perfect + can’t be challenged
- if attempt to prove it wrong- use get out clauses
Ideology + Science - Beliefs - Religion as a Closed Belief System - Evans Pritchard - Azante People
• Azante people believed witchcraft caused misfortune to their tribe
- Case brought to principle who’d ask an oracle to determine if witchcraft was used – Benge given to chicken + if it died there was witchcraft (Benge is poison)
- didn’t accept Benge was poison even when proved to them
Ideology + Science - Belief - Religion as a Closed Belief System - Polyani- Self sustaining
• Some Belief systems are self-sustaining
- believe them even if proved wrong
• 1) Circulatory –> Each idea is explained in terms of another
2) Subsidiary of explanation
3) Denial of legitimacy –> reject other views
Ideology + Science - Beliefs- Science as a Closed Belief System - Kuhn
• Science operates on paradigms - have assumptions of reality + what counts as evidence
• For scientists to be successful have to accept certain ideas (gravity, evolution)
Ideology + Science - Scientific Knowledge - Interpretivists - Knorr - Cetiba + Woolgar
• Knorr - Cetiba –> Scientific Knowledge is a construct - isn’t objectively true - invented by humans
• Woolgar –> Scientists attempt to understand world
- can collect evidence but we decide its meaning - Example: Pulsars discovery initially referred to as Little Green Men - seen as unacceptable + referred to it as unknown
Ideology + Science - Scientific Knowledge - Marxists/Feminists
• Marxists –> Science serves interest of capitalism + bourgeoisie
- wealthy people fund research so serves there needs
- e.g nuclear weapons developed to fight wealthy wars
• Feminists –> Science serves needs of patriarchy (bio theory of evolution try justify women’s weaker position)
Ideology + Science - Scientific Knowledge - Postmodernism - Lyotard
• Truth doesn’t exist
• Science is a metanarrative - story claiming to be true
• Used to control people –> evolution justified racism + sexism, Psychology saw homosexuality as abnormal
Ideology + Science - Science, Religion + Ideology - Society + Ideology - Plato
• Open + closed belief systems aren’t limited to Science + religion
• Every soc runs on closed belief system imposed by soc rulers
- Plato –> soc operates on Nobel lies - taught false things to keep soc together
• Closed Belief systems are ideologies
Ideology + Science - Traditional Marxism + Ideology - Marx
• Ideology is a false consciousness imposed by bourg
- forces us to see reality the way bourg want us to
- prevents prol realising exploitation
• Creates closed belief systems (equality is impossible) - which most believe
• Science + Religion are ideologies shaping reality to keep rc in power
Ideology + Science - Neo-Marxisn + Ideology - Gramsci
• Bourg rule soc by controlling ideas exposed to- hegemony
- world will always be unequal
• Prol choose which beliefs to follow due to duel-consciousness
• Science + religion are hegemonic + keep rich in power
Ideology + Science - Feminism + Ideology - Oakley, Marks + Armstrong
• Religion + Science are ideologies which justify patriarchal dominance
- Marks –> Evolution justify excluding women from ed
- Armstrong –> Religion justifies subordination of women - masculine gods
Ideology + Science - Late Modernism + Ideology - Mannheim
• Every interpretation of world is an Ideology
- everyone’s view us wrong,
- Science + religion are naturally bias + untrue
• 2 belief systems exists:
- Ideological thought –> closed created by rulers of soc to benefit them
- Utopian thought –> closed justifying social change to benefit underprivileged
• Both are true - improve soc must synthesise them
