L7+L8 Feyerabend

Question 1

What is ‘Scientism’?

Answer 1

A form of excessive belief in the power of scientific knowledge and techniques.

A belief system about science.

Question 2

What two things did Feyerabend’s critics say he was confusing with one another?

Answer 2

Science and Scientism

Question 3

What is a ‘post-traditional’ society?

Answer 3

One where globalization and education have altered the traditional relationship between professionals and their clients.

Less trusting, more willing to look outside of expert opinion etc.

Question 4

What is the ‘Traditional Sociology of Science’ interested in?

Answer 4

How science is organised as a dominant institution in our society

and

How scientific errors come about

Question 5

What ethic did Robert Merton say gave rise to Science in England and the west?

Answer 5

Puritanism

Question 6

What are the 3 cultural values of ‘Puritanism’

Answer 6

Utility

Rationality

Individualism

Question 7

What does utility mean in regards to the Puritan Ethic?

Answer 7

Things are regarded in terms of their ‘usefulness’

Anything that was decorative, superfluous or unnecessary was morally wrong.

Being superficial, caring about flashy personal appearance etc. was immoral.

Question 8

What does ‘rationality’ mean in regards to the Puritan Ethic?

Answer 8

The rational way of understanding things is being only objective and entirely without emotion.

The ethic and the morals of it don’t concern you so much.

You can develop the atomic bomb, just because its science, screw the morals.

Question 9

What does individualism mean in regards to the Puritan Ethic?

Answer 9

Debate and discussion aren’t as much of a concern as it should be left up to the experts. It’s up to mental processing.

Question 10

What philosophy did Robert Merton create?

Answer 10

Traditional Sociology of Science

Question 11

What are Merton’s 4 Norms of Science?

Answer 11

1. Universalism
2. Communism
3. Organized Scepticism
4. Disinterestedness

Question 12

What is Merton’s Norm of Universalism?

Answer 12

All knowledge claims in science should be assessed on the basis of impersonal criteria.

Personal issues (race, religion) should never be a component of the assessment in any way.

Question 13

What is Merton’s Norm of Communism?

Answer 13

Knowledge should be freely shared in science.

Question 14

What is Merton’s Norm of Organized Scepticism?

Answer 14

All scientific knowledge claims should continually be assessed in terms of:

1) how coherently they fit within a particular theory

and

2) their empirical accuracy

Question 15

What is Merton’s Norm of Disinterestedness?

Answer 15

Scientific status should be gained through merit rather than through forms of patronage or social position or wealth.

Question 16

What are the three other proposals that others have added to Merton’s Norms of Science?

Answer 16

1) Originality
2) Humility
3) Emotional Neutrality

Question 17

What view of science is the traditional sociology of science based on?

Why? (What characteristics does this have)

Answer 17

The ‘received view’ of science

It is based on the view that science:

• Science deals in facts*
• Science is impersonal*
• Science involves rigorous testing*
• Scientists are neutral observers*
• Reliability and validity of scientific facts*

Question 18

How did Merton describe how fraud comes about within science?

Answer 18

When scientists refuse to follow the 4 ‘Norms of Science’.

Question 19

How should deviations from the Norms of Science be explained according to Merton?

Answer 19

In Psychological and Sociological terms.

• e.g. Individual ambition (goes against disinterestedness, psychological problem)*
• Prejudices against groups leading to not listening ideas (psychological problem)*

Question 20

How is true belief assumed to come about, and how should we explain error?

Answer 20

True belief: Come out of virtue of objective observation of the world as it is (science).

Error: should be explained through sociological and psychological factors that impacted the science.

Question 21

What is The Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK) concerned with?

Answer 21

Exploring the sorts of social processes that are involved in determining what counts as true or false scientific belief.

Question 22

What is science according to Constructionist Theory? (Relativist position)

Answer 22

Scientific inquiry considered not to be an objective pursuit of truth, but rather a social institution, which actively and systematically produces specific versions of reality and truth.

Claims are generated because where they are produced, and who they are produced by.

Question 23

What did the constructionist Anderson (2011) mean by ‘knowers are situated’

Answer 23

What can be known by an individual or group depends on their situation.

Their housing, gender, prior worldview etc.