Topic 7 - Ideology and Science

Question 1

Science as a belief system
- the impact of science

Answer 1

. soc has faith in science cos eradicates once fatal diseases
-> faith started to fail cos causes problems as well as solves them (protects from nat dangers but brings its own)
. the ‘cognitive power’ of science = the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ effects of science show key distinctions from other belief systems + knowledge-claims

Question 2

Science as a belief system
- Open belief system

Answer 2

. Popper - Falsification (able to be proven wrong) makes it an open one
. ‘the principle of falsification’ = deliberately seeking evidence that would disprove a theory - knowledge-claims live and die by evidence in science
. sci is cumulative cos builds on each-other’s findings
. sci isnt sacred or absolute cos can be tested, questioned, criticised or shown to be false.

Question 3

Science as a belief system
- The CUDOS norms

Answer 3

. Merton said that Puritanism was first to support scientific thinking by looking at nature to appreciate God’s work
.Communism - sci knowledge has to be shared or cant develop
.Universalism - truth or falsivity judged universally not just those that came up with the theory
.Disinterestedness - no personal attachment to your findings
.Organised Scepticism - every idea is open to questioning, criticism and objective investigation

Question 4

Science as a belief system
- Closed belief system

Answer 4

. cos it claims to have perfect knowledge of absolute truth + cant be challenged cos claim to God’s divine authority
. cant be disproved cos has a number of ‘get-out-clauses’ that reinforce the system and prevent it being over-turned and disproved (in the eyes of followers)
. Kuhn - paradigm (shared set of values to base theories on)
- normal science = puzzle solving -> paradigms are the outlines and scientists have to fill in the middle
- those that challenge the paradigm are ridiculed and hounded out of the profession
- scientific revolution takes place when paradigm has been undermines by accumulation of anomalies

Question 5

Science as a belief system
- witchcraft among the Azande

Answer 5

. explain misfortune through if you never been bitten by a snake walking down a path before but then you are you have been cursed
. deal with suspected witch craft by consulting the Prince’s magic poison oracle which is fed to chickens -> chicken will die if the one being accused of the witchcraft is the one who cause it
. according to Evans-Pritchard it performs 3 functions
- clears teh air and prevents grudges
- encourages ppl to act considerately to each other
- believe its hereditary so kids keep parents in line
. prevented from questioning cos trapped in own ‘idiom of belief’ -> non-believers say that if chicken died before potion was addressed the oracle doent work but they just say its bad Benge

Question 6

Science as a belief system
- self-sustaining beliefs

Answer 6

. 3 devices for sustaining belief systems
1) Circularity
- each idea explained in terms of another within the system
2) Subsidiary Explanations
- eg if oracle fail could be down to incorrect use of the benge
3) Denial of legitimacy to rivals
- reject alt world views by refusing to grant legitimacy to their basic assumptions

Question 7

Science as a belief system
- the sociology of scientific knowledge

Answer 7

. Knorr-Cetina = sci can fabricate new facts cos can create new inventions and views lab setting as neg cos far away from nat world meant to be studying
. Marxists see science as just serving the ruling class
. Feminism see it as just serve men
. Postmodernism see science as one of many meta-narratives

Question 8

Ideology as a belief system
- Marxism and ideology

Answer 8

. in workers interests to overthrow capitalism to stop exploitation
. examples of ruling class ideology
- equality will never work cos its against ‘human nature’
- victim-blaming ideas about pov (Bowels + Gintis meritocracy = everyone has equal chance so they’re poor cos they’re lazy
- racist ideas bout inferiority of eth min eg B + W divide makes it easier to rule
. Gramsci see workers as having a dual consciousness
-> w/c develop ideas that challenge r/c hegemony (mix of r/c and own ideas)
-> organic intellectuals are those through anti-capitalist struggles have developed a class consciousness
. Abercrombie et al criticise Gramsci cos £ factors like employment stop them from rebelling

Question 9

Ideology as a belief system
- the ideology of nationalism

Answer 9

. 3 features of nationalism
- nations are real, distinct communities with own unique characteristics and a long shared history
- every nation should be self governing
- national loyalty + ID should come before all others
. Anderson says a nation is an imagined community cos you will never know most of its other members cos communities can bind millions of strangers together
. Marx says nationalism is a fals class consciousness cos stops cap being overthrown + encourages workers to believe that they have more in common with r/c
. Funct see nationalism as secular civil religion cos integrates individ into larger soc + political units by making them feel part of something bigger than themselves
. Funct say ed plays role of creating social solidarity
. Gellner says nationalism feature of modern soc rather than pre-indust cos ships used to be face-to-face small scale with hierarchy
-> ed to impose single standard, national culture and language on every member of soc
-> nationalism used to help modernise state cos encourages pop to endure hardship + suffering

Question 10

Ideology as a belief system
- Mannheim : ideology and utopia

Answer 10

. 2 types of belief systems
1) ideological thought - keeping things as they are
2) utopian though - justifies soc change -> reflects position + interests of the underclass + offers version of what soc should be
. world views created by a group of intellects who attach themselves to particular classes
-> only give partial view of reality cos only assigned to particular group not soc as a whole
. the source of conflict in soc if diff intellects proposing dif ideas that justify the claims of their groups
. Free-floating intelligentsia able to arrive at worldview cos not tied to one group so can represent soc as a whole

Question 11

Ideology as a belief system
- Feminism and ideology

Answer 11

. Marks says Ideas from science used to justify women’s exclusion from ed cos educating them made way for ‘new puny and unfeminine women’ + ‘disqualifying them from their true vocation’ (ratising and socialising the next gen)
. religious beliefs define women as inferior by
- they are ritually impure or unclean = periods/childbirth
- ‘churching’ = purification ritual after the woman has given birth (she will not receive communion until this happens)
. Hinduism doesnt subordinate women cos had godesses that created the universe