Ideology, Science & Religion

Question 1

Karl Popper spoke about what?

Answer 1

open and closed belief systems

Question 2

What out of science and religion is an open belief system and who coined the term?

Answer 2

Popper- science is an open belief system as it is open to rational scrutiny, criticism and open to testing

Question 3

What out of science and religion is a closed belief system and who coined the term?

Answer 3

Popper- religion is a closed belief system as knowledge is sacred and can’t be challenged

Question 4

Examples to show that its applicable to say that religion is a closed belief system?

Answer 4

Galieleo- was prosecuted by the catholic church for hypothesising that the earth and other planets revolve around the sun

Evans -looked at the azande tribe regarding witchcraft when a chicken was fed poison and it stayed alive the accused person was a witch

Question 5

Examples to show that science is not really an open belief system?

Answer 5

Velikovsky - argued that Venus was ejected by Jupiter thus changed the earths orbit and axis but the scientific community rejected this showing they are ruled by paradigms

Question 6

Similarities between science and religion?

Answer 6

• both see humans as the centre of the universe
• both have a set of ways of doing things that result in alternative ways of doing things
• contains saints and priests regarded as sacred and rarely questioned

Question 7

Religion and ideology points?

Answer 7

• it prevents social change eg: Christian theology was used to justify slavery
• justifies the power of elite groups eg: monarchies said they had absolute, unquestionable power from God

Question 8

Science and ideology regarding craniology

points?

Answer 8

Craniology was used as a scientific method to justify slavery and inequality between blacks and whites by size of the skull

Question 9

Religion and ideology regarding it justifying power of elites and preventing change points?

Answer 9

• it prevents social change: Christian theology used to justify slavery
• justifies the power of the elite groups: monarchies said they had the absolute power from God

Question 10

Eval for open and closed belief systems?

Answer 10

Kuhn - argues scientific facts were social constructions. rejects the idea that science is rational. Argues that there are paradigms (set of shared assumptions scientists are socialised with). Scientists refuse challenges to their works

Question 11

Are science and religion both belief systems if so why? using belief system definition

Answer 11

Yes as belief systems are any integrated set of ideas which influences the way most people see the world

Question 12

Marxism and science ideas about it being ideological?

Answer 12

Science is ideological as its presented positive to improve the standards of living but it exploits those in lower standards

Question 13

Feminism and science regarding women in science? what do crasnow et al and Marks say?

Answer 13

Women are presented as inferior

Crasnow et Al- argue scientific institutions have long tradition of excluding women as practitioners

Marks- argues patriarchal ideology is used to justify the exclusion of women from education

Question 14

Analysis that feminism and science regarding in women in science is true?

Answer 14

Guardian showed that the gender pay gap n 33% for GP’s and 17% for doctors

Statistics for women in engineering in 2015/16 showed that women accounted for 6.8% of engineering apprenticeships

Question 15

Postmodernism arguments regarding science and religion?

Answer 15

Lyotard argue that both science and religion are metanarratives that falsely claim to have truth. People no longer seek truth in these belief systems