Ideology and Science

• Popper - science as a belief system

  Science = open belief system - open to challenge

  Falsification - proving theories wrong
• Merton - science as a belief system


  Science = open belief system

  CUDOs norms

  Communism = information shared by everyone

  Universalism = evidence agreed by everyone across the world

  Disinterestedness = scientists not interested in egos/fame

  Organised skepticism - encourage findings to be challenges
• Horton - religion as a belief system

  Religion = closed belief system

  Monopoly of truth

  Irrefutable truth claims - can't be proved or disproved
• Polyani - religion as a belief system


  Religion = closed belief system

  Self-sustaining techniques:

  • Circularity = arguments where the conclusion proves the premise and the premise proves the conclusion
  • Subsidiary explanations = arguments that explain any flaw with a new argument

  Suppression of rival conceptions = arguments designed to dismiss scientific explanations
• Gould - science + religion


  Compatibility of science and religion - argues they can co-exist

  • science = proves objective, scientific facts
  • religion = subjective, morals e.g. what is right and wrong
• Kuhn - science as a belief sustem


  Science = closed belief system

  Science = paradigm

  if you go against scientific paradigm, you're disregarded

  Paradigm shifts = take years

  Social construction of science - science has too much power in society
• Wooglar - science as a belief system

  Science = closed belief system

  Astrologists categorised sound patterns from space as Little Green Men/LGM

  Replaced this with 'pulsars' making themselves look more credible
• Marx - ideology


  Religion spreads the ruling class ideology that normalises capitalism and creates a false consciousness
• Roy - ideology


  Feminism

  Society = dominated by ideology that makes people think men are superior to women

  Patriarchy in science

  • understanding women's physiology less than men's
  • medicalisation of pregnancy
• Geller - ideology


  Ideology of nationalism

  Nationalism = most important ideology in modernity

  Modernity = individualism - nationalism needed by political leaders to unify people

  
  

  Critique: Nationalism isn't as powerful as society is becoming more individual, less likely to value national identity