science as a belief system

Question 1

good impacts of science - pick 2

Answer 1

transport
communications
medicine
answered questions
revolutionised economic productivity
protection from famine and floods
etc

Question 2

bad impacts of science - pick 2

Answer 2

pollution
global warming
weapons of mass destruction
harmful drugs

Question 3

who talks about falsification

Answer 3

Karl popper !!!!!

Question 4

Karl popper on why science is an open belief system

Answer 4

• 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)

Question 5

overview of what an open belief system is

Answer 5

Science is open to scrutiny and change and development

Question 6

falsification def

Answer 6

scientists set out to try and falsify existing theories by deliberately seeking evidence that would disprove them

Question 7

why has science only thrived over the past few centuries according to merton

Answer 7

Merton - science can only thrive as a major institution if it has support from other institutions and values

Question 8

when did merton say science was first able to grow

why was this

Answer 8

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

Question 9

context behind CUDOS

Answer 9

Merton argues science has an ethos that serves goal of increasing scientific knowledge

Question 10

state four norms that spell CUDOS

Answer 10

C- communism

U - universalism

D - disinterestedness

OS - organised scepticism

Question 11

explain C in CUDOS

Answer 11

communism
scientific knowledge is not private property so it is shared

Question 12

explain U in CUDOS

Answer 12

universalism
- truth judged by universal objective criteria not by particular race or sex

Question 13

Explain D in CUDOS

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Explain OS in CUDOS

Answer 14

organised scepticism
no knowledge claims are regarded as sacred so every idea can be open to questioning and criticism

Question 15

Horton believes what is a closed belief system

Answer 15

religion

Question 16

Explain why Horton says religion is a closed belief system

Answer 16

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

Question 17

explain witchcraft among the Azande

Answer 17

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

Question 18

who argues that belief systems have 3 concepts to sustain themselves

Answer 18

Polanyi

Question 19

Polanyi on closed belief systems

Answer 19

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

Question 20

state Polanyis 3 concepts on how closed belief systems sustain themselves

Answer 20

-circularity
-subsidiary explanations
-denial of legitimacy

Question 21

what does Kuhn mean by a paradigm

Answer 21

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

Question 22

what does Kuhn liken to puzzle solving

Answer 22

scientists engaging in normal science due to them following what the paradigm are telling them to

Question 23

what happens to someone who challenged the paradigm

Answer 23

they are ridiculed and hounded out of the profession
- no longer regarded with respect within science

Question 24

who talks about the paradigm

Answer 24

Kuhn

Question 25

how does Cetina develop Kuhn

Answer 25

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

Question 26

marxists on science

Answer 26

serves interests of dominant group - bourgeoise
- advances have been driven by the need of capitalism such as weaponry

Question 27

explain circularity (polanyi)

Answer 27

each idea is explained with another idea within the belief so goes round and round

Question 28

explain subsidiary (polanyi)

Answer 28

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.

Question 29

explain denial (polanyi)

Answer 29

reject mainstream perspectives and refuse to acknowledge them such as evolution