science as a belief system Flashcards
good impacts of science - pick 2
transport
communications
medicine
answered questions
revolutionised economic productivity
protection from famine and floods
etc
bad impacts of science - pick 2
pollution
global warming
weapons of mass destruction
harmful drugs
who talks about falsification
Karl popper !!!!!
Karl popper on why science is an open belief system
- falsification - knowledge claims live or die by evidence
- scientific knowledge is cumulative (everyone builds on each others ideas to get greater understanding)
eg. gravity
science is not sacred or absolute truth so it can always be questioned and criticised and shown false (Copernicus said it was false that sun revolved around earth)
overview of what an open belief system is
Science is open to scrutiny and change and development
falsification def
scientists set out to try and falsify existing theories by deliberately seeking evidence that would disprove them
why has science only thrived over the past few centuries according to merton
Merton - science can only thrive as a major institution if it has support from other institutions and values
when did merton say science was first able to grow
why was this
under protestant reformation
- puritans thought a study of nature led to an appreciation of gods work
also started recieving funding from economic and military institutions when its was obvious science helped in things like weaponry
context behind CUDOS
Merton argues science has an ethos that serves goal of increasing scientific knowledge
state four norms that spell CUDOS
C- communism
U - universalism
D - disinterestedness
OS - organised scepticism
explain C in CUDOS
communism
scientific knowledge is not private property so it is shared
explain U in CUDOS
universalism
- truth judged by universal objective criteria not by particular race or sex
Explain D in CUDOS
disinterestedness - committed to discovering knowledge for own sake.
having to publish their findings means that its harder for scientists to be done for fraud etc
Explain OS in CUDOS
organised scepticism
no knowledge claims are regarded as sacred so every idea can be open to questioning and criticism
Horton believes what is a closed belief system
religion
Explain why Horton says religion is a closed belief system
because their knowledge and evidence can’t be overturned successfully and therefore holds great power and truth.
- they have ‘get out clauses’ and devices to prevent it from being disproved
eg. witchcraft
explain witchcraft among the Azande
believe natural events have natural causes but do not believe in coincidence or chance
- explain misfortune with witchcraft
- the believers are trapped within their own idiom of belief so cannot be challenged
- will just make excuses such as - they are performing witchcraft unconsciously
who argues that belief systems have 3 concepts to sustain themselves
Polanyi
Polanyi on closed belief systems
all closed beliefs have 3 concepts to sustain themselves:
Circularity – each idea is explained with another idea within the belief so goes round and round
Subsidiary – when belief is not seen as correct they make excuses on external factors.
Denial – reject mainstream perspectives and refuse to acknowledge them such as evolution
state Polanyis 3 concepts on how closed belief systems sustain themselves
-circularity
-subsidiary explanations
-denial of legitimacy
what does Kuhn mean by a paradigm
mature science such as biology is based on a set of shared assumptions that he calls a paradigm
- it tells scientists what reality is like and what to study etc
what does Kuhn liken to puzzle solving
scientists engaging in normal science due to them following what the paradigm are telling them to
what happens to someone who challenged the paradigm
they are ridiculed and hounded out of the profession
- no longer regarded with respect within science
who talks about the paradigm
Kuhn
how does Cetina develop Kuhn
says what scientists study is removed from natural world they are supposedly studying
- such as animals being specially bred
- scientists invent new instruments that allow them to make new observations and ‘fabricate’ evidence that is followed within science and is not challenged such as telescopes
marxists on science
serves interests of dominant group - bourgeoise
- advances have been driven by the need of capitalism such as weaponry
explain circularity (polanyi)
each idea is explained with another idea within the belief so goes round and round
explain subsidiary (polanyi)
explaining away the idea
- if the oracle fails it must be improper use of benge
- when belief is not seen as correct they make excuses on external factors.
explain denial (polanyi)
reject mainstream perspectives and refuse to acknowledge them such as evolution
