Defining Ideology

Defining Ideology:

  • Ideology is often referred to in political terms

  • A broad set of cohesive ideas and political beliefs

  • What constitutes an ideology is often based on the perspective of individuals

Marxism and Ideology

  • Marxists see ideology as the dominant set of beliefs and ideas in society

  • Ideology justifies the power and privilege of the ruling class

  • Ideology in Marxist terms is a source of manipulation and control

  • The ideology of the ruling class generates false consciousness

  • Revolution has been prevented by ideological control

  • Institutions transmit ideas of capitalism being fair and that status is rewarded on merit

Feminism and Ideology:

  • Feminists see patriarchal ideology as justifying the position of men in power

  • A patriarchal ideology based upon justifying divisions as being natural

  • Social institutions give false impressions of differences in ability by gender

Is Religion an Ideology?

  1. Marxists argue that religion is part of the dominant ideology aiding control of the proletariat

  2. Belonging to a religion does not always match up with the core beliefs of a religious ideology

  3. Separation of state and religion in many Western nations

Dixon Open and Closed Belief Systems:

  • A closed belief system is when an ideology or viewpoint is unchangeable, and dismisses criticism​

  • An open belief system is one where the knowledge may grow, change or adapt based on criticism or new discoveries...​

Religion as a Closed Belief System:

  • Authors such as Horton argue that religion makes it so that religious claims cannot be challenged and to do so it is wrong. This supports historical views of religion being a monopoly of truth when religion governed the land

  • ​Polyani supports this view arguing that religion has self-sustaining beliefs:

    1. Circularity (making a circular argument)​

    2. Subsidiary explanations (the reason why something has been successful at disproving a closed system is that the act or research was carried out in the wrong way anyway so it should be disregarded)​

    3. Denial of legitimacy to rival​

  • ​Christianity as a self-sustaining belief​

    • Natural Law (a philosophical view) would argue that ultimate questions such as “why do we suffer?” are part of God’s plan and that God’s plan is beyond human understanding

  • ‘Swimming test’ to find witches​

    • Accused witches were thrown into the water. If they sunk, they were not a witch (but subsequently drowned).​

    • If they floated they were a witch, as it was believed they had spurned the sacrament of baptism, it was thought that the water would reject their body and prevent them from submerging. If this was the case they were then burned at the stake

  • ​​Evans-Pritchard: Azande beliefs​

  • Oracle of Benge: This was the basis of the Azande clans’ judicial system.​

  • This is when if you poisoned a chick, if it died it revealed an accused was telling the truth (and they were not using witchcraft to harm a fellow Zande)​

  • However, if it lived, then they were using Witchcraft.​

Science as an Open Belief System:

  • Popper argued that science was based on the principle of falsification: the ability to try and prove an idea wrong with evidence (rather than verification -proving it right). ​

    He argued that in this respect it means we find out more: it is cumulative, so adapts and changes when old ideas are replaced with new ones as we discover more​

  • Merton supports this view believing science grew from the protestant reformation and the death of the interventionist God​

    • This is also supported by Weber’s view regarding rationalisation and disenchantment: the need for rationality, logic and evidence which informs secular viewpoints

  • Communism (sharing)​

  • Universal (same objective measures are used)​

  • Disinterestedness (it is value-free)​

  • Organised Skepticism (accepted methods of testing)​

  • Norms:​

    • Scientists are open to criticising each other, and by doing so it allows scientific knowledge to grow.​​

Critising Science as an Open Belief System:

  • Kuhn: Science works within a paradigm (set of rules), and if you work outside of these rules, you are not a credible scientist. This can suggest science is a closed belief system

    • Darwin: He was considered too extreme when he challenged the religious status quo​

  • Social constructionist views (Knorr-Cetina): She argues that science is a social construction, as are the tools created by scientists that are used to research it (so it’s not that much different from religion really!)​

  • Kaplan ‘logic in use’: Scientists often work outside their ‘rules’ and ‘norms’, and ‘fill in the gaps’ after scientific discoveries. He supported his idea by finding that 90% of research in the British Medical Journal was ‘discovered’ in this way

    • ‘Accidental’ discoveries such as penicillin and post-it notes!​

Is Religion a Closed System:

  • Ecumenical movements: when religious groups from different backgrounds work together (such as the Church of England and the Muslim Council of Britain).​

  • Changes in attitudes in the Catholic Church

What about other Arguments Regarding the existence of Science and Religion?

  • Gould (relativism): Non-Overlapping Magisteria (NOMA): Religion informs values, whereas science informs knowledge. Many scientists hold religious beliefs (such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Isaac Newton).​

  • Humans as Anthropocentric (humans as the centre of the universe): Whether we were created in the image of God or at the topic of the evolutionary hierarchy, both suggest there is a ‘correct’ way of thinking and working outside of these it is heretical/wrong.

  • ​Atheist view: Richard Dawkins argued that religion would ‘die out’ in 300-400 years and that we would ‘morally’ evolve, therefore religion would have no place. He argued that historically, the Black Civil Rights movement led by MLK would have happened eventually, without the support of the church (Bruce argued MLK’s role as a pastor and the Christian church was intrinsic support)​