A2 Sociology Topic 7: Ideology and Science

Learning Outcomes LO1: List various belief systems LO2: Outline various belief systems LO3: Evaluate the scientific status of various belief systems

TOPIC OVERLAPS THIS TOPIC OVERLAPS WITH THE POSITIVIST AND INTERPREVETIST TOPIC IN THEORY AND METHOD THIS TOPIC COMES UP AS A 33 MARK QUESTION

Impact of Science Science is a ‘knowledge claim’ that enables us to control the world around us and predict the future Massive growth in scientific and technological development since the enlightenment Some development is good as well as bad

Karl Popper (1959) Popper was a postivist Science is an ‘open belief system’ Open to challenge, scrutiny, testing Any knowledge claims must be FASLIFIABLE Scientific truth claims build on previous truth claims – science is progressive No theory is ever TRUE

Pair work Read through the list you have been given Identify those which you feel can be considered science and those which should be considered pseudo-science

Karl Popper and ‘The Scientific Method’ Karl Popper said that there is a correct way of establishing new knowledge claims or scientific truths In three place the cards in an order that you think is reflective of how scientific truths are produced

Merton (1957) Merton was a positivist Science and the ‘functional fit’ Science can only thrive in regard to other institutions Science aims to rid the world of want, disease and therefore was attractive to some religious groups – Calvinists Was useful to the military and economic system – weapons, things to buy

Cudos Norms Summarise the norms that Merton suggests sciecne must operate under

Horton (1970) Closed belief systems Science is an open system, knowledge claims based on evidence Other beliefs – Religion, ideologies etc are closed belief system Knowledge claims are based on faith Get out clauses reinforce believers faith

Individual Activity Read through the summary of the anthropolgist Evans Pritchard’s work of the Azande tribe in Sudan Bullet point his main conclusions Identify examples of how it operates as a closed system

Polyani (1958) Religions and ideologies are belief systems Unlike science they are self sustaining This is similar to Horton’s ideas Draw up a two column three row table Summarise Polyani’s ideas Think of an example for each

Science as a closed system We covered this on the sociology as a science topic Thomas Kuhn: Science is a closed system Many vested interests Revolutionary science Paradigmatic shifts

The sociology of scientific truths Interprevetist sociologists deny the existence of objective facts Facts are the result of a subjective process Knorr – Cetina (1995) Laboratories are artificial environments, scientific tools produce facts Steven Woolgar (1988) Little Green Men Interpretations of facts must be inside pre- existing facts Disagreement about the meaning of stars found in 1967 – they called them LGM, had to change the name and reinterpret the meaning – therefore science is the outcome of meaning making

Critical approaches to science MarxismFeminismPostmoder nism Serves interest of rich Serves interests of men Meta- narrative

Ideology Draw up a two column four row table Read through the four descriptions of ideology summarised on page 64 Give an example for each

Traditional Marxism and Ideology Class based dialectic Bourgeois class dominate proletariat Use ideology to legitimate position Proletariat are unaware of domination Need to develop class consciousness – unable to, no agency Agencies of socialisation directly controlled by economic base

Neo- Marxism and Ideology Gramsci and Hegemony Culture as a site of domination…and resistance Dual consciousness –aware of exploitation Working class organic intellectuals AO2 Abercrombie – material conditions of poverty not ideas that keep people from rebelling

Feminism and Ideology

Discrimination based on gender Patriarchy Science used to bolster this discrimination – ‘hysterical women’, science as ‘un-feminine’ Religious ideology is used to legitimate discrimination of women AO2 Woodhead. Not all religion is patriarchal - hijabs

Karl Mannheim Influenced by Marxist and phenomenological approaches Belief systems are a partial self sustaining view of the world Ideological thought Utopian thought Keeping things as they are A view of the world that justifies social change

The Free Floating Intelligentsia Sociology as social progress Perspectives are at odds with each other Intellectuals need to take an overarching ‘holistic view’ for the sake of society AO2: Often political views are too diametrically opposed to come to compromise AO2 However….in postmodernity anything is possible – David Davies shares platforms with socialists on questions of personal liberty

Individual Activity Complete the worksheet