Taking Sides

2021 ◽  
pp. 226-242
Author(s):  
Steven L. Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Belief System ◽  
Fundamental Question ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Academic World ◽  
Contentious Issue ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The World

From the 1970s on, the treatment of modern science as simultaneously an induction-based account of experience and a deduction-based account of reality became an increasingly contentious issue in the academic world. A great deal was at stake in how one answered the question of whether scientific knowledge was objective and validated by its correspondence with reality. Respect and privileged social status were accorded to science, not to mention public support for research. At the same time, however, scientists faced the more fundamental question of whether there existed a neutral arbiter of questions relating to truth, or at least truths about the world. Philosophers and social scientists lined up on both sides of this issue, either attacking scientific knowledge as a socially constructed belief system or defending it as objective and correlated with reality.

scholarly journals Diálogos interdisciplinares para uma agenda socioambiental: breve inventário do debate sobre ciência, sociedade e natureza

2000 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimas FLORIANI
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Belief System ◽  
The Other ◽  
Scientific Practices ◽  
Instrumental Reason ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
The World ◽  
Interdisciplinary Knowledge ◽  
Nature And Society

O debate sobre ciência, sociedade e natureza, na perspectiva da construção de um novo conhecimento interdisciplinar, exige uma reflexão crítica sobre os fundamentos da racionalidade científica moderna. Por outro lado, a crítica que se faz ao conhecimento científico, coincide com a crítica ao fracionamento que se faz entre sociedade e natureza, com todas as suas implicações sócio-culturais e políticas. Razão instrumental e sistema de crenças andam juntos. Daí que uma crítica profunda sobre a racionalidade e as práticas científicas, no âmbito da relação sociedade-natureza, deve buscar reaproximar os saberes disciplinares, principalmente os das ciências da vida, da natureza e da sociedade. Esse diálogo entre saberes científicos não pode, entretanto, excluir as outras formas de conhecimento do mundo, da natureza e das sociedades. ABSTRACT The debate on science, nature and society, from the perspective of the construction of a new interdisciplinary knowledge, requires critical refelctions on the bases of modern scientific rationality. On the other hand, the critique of scientific knowledge that has been made coincides with the critique of the division between society and nature, with all of its socio-cultural and political implications. Instrumental reason and belief system develop together. Therefore, a deep critique of rationality and scientific practices, from the perspective of the societynature relationship, should seek to bring the knowledge that has been separated into different disciplines closer together again, especially with regard to the life sciences, that is, those of nature and society. This dialogue between fields of scientific knowledge should not, at the same time, exclude other forms of knowing the world, nature and society.

scholarly journals REPRESENTATION OF AUTHOR's SCIENTIFIC MODEL OF WORLD THROUGH THE TEXT

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-500
Author(s):  
N.V. Efremova ◽  
E.N. Belova
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Medical Discourse ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Scientific Model ◽  
Medical Texts ◽  
Discursive Space ◽  
Communicative Strategies ◽  
The World ◽  
The One

The article is dedicated to the one of the key problems in modern science - the problem of translation of scientific knowledge - and takes medical texts as an example. Due to analysis of the medical texts from the same author we can see a realization of the scientific model of the world by choice of an actual discursive space. As his/her aim is to translate his/her point of view to the readers, author can do it directly, in an accessible and easy way, for non-specialists, or indirectly, sharing his/her knowledge, experience and ideas with colleagues. According to the need for analysis of communicative strategies and tactics of the contemporary medical discourse, an actuality of the article is associated with an analysis of linguistic and stylistic methods of creating both types of texts.

scholarly journals Belief in Astrology: a social-psychological analysis

1997 ◽  
Vol 1 (01) ◽  
pp. 55-71
Author(s):  
Martin Bauer ◽  
John Durant
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Religious Orientation ◽  
Belief System ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Authoritarian Personality ◽  
The Public ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Psychological Analysis ◽  
Social Disintegration

Social scientists have suggested several different hypotheses to account for the prevalence of belief in astrology among certain sections of the public in modern times. It has been proposed: (1) that as an elaborate and systematic belief system, astrology is attractive to people with intermediate levels of scientific knowledge [the superficial knowledge hypothesis]; (2) that belief in astrology reflects a kind of 'metaphysical unrest' that is to be found amongst those with a religious orientation but little or no integration into the structures of organized religion, perhaps as a result of 'social disintegration' consequent upon the collapse of community or upon social mobility [the metaphysical unrest hypothesis]; and (3) that belief in astrology is prevalent amongst those with an 'authoritarian character' [authoritarian personality hypothesis]. The paper tests these hypotheses against the results of British survey data from 1988. The evidence appears to support variants of hypotheses (1) and (2), but not hypothesis (3). It is proposed that serious interest or involvement in astrology is not primarily the result of a lack of scientific knowledge or understanding; rather, it is a compensatory activity with considerable attractions to segments of the population whose social world is labile or transitional; belief in astrology may be an indicator of the disintegration of community and its concomitant uncertainties and anxieties. Paradoxical as it may appear, astrology may be part and parcel of late modernity.

The Science Wars Go Public

2021 ◽  
pp. 243-258
Author(s):  
Steven L. Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Belief System ◽  
Religious Right ◽  
Court Decisions ◽  
Academic World ◽  
The Public ◽  
Creation Science ◽  
Science Wars ◽  
Effective Science ◽  
Practice Of Science

In the 1990s, the Science Wars moved from the academic world into the public arena, further widening the gulf between critics of science, who argued that science was a socially empowered belief system or ideology, and defenders of a more traditional view of scientific knowledge. The critics of science were alienated by scientists’ insistence on promoting scientific knowledge as archaeological-ontological rather than interpretational-epistemological. They became actively hostile to the practice of science as well as to the putative knowledge that scientists produced, denouncing both as ideological, patriarchal, sexist, racist, and pretenders to truth. The religious right responded with its own critique of science by arguing that creation science was just as legitimately science as evolutionary theory, but successive court decisions rejected this interpretation. The implications for how we are to understand the nature of scientific knowledge remain profound for formulating effective science-based public policies.

Sociocultural Anthropology

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Кравченко ◽  
Al'bert Kravchenko
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Traditional Society ◽  
Social Anthropology ◽  
Beliefs And Values ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Origin Of Man

Sociocultural anthropology studies instruments of labor, technology, traditions and customs, beliefs and values, social institutions, family, marriage and kinship, economic mechanisms, the evolution of art, etc. The book outlines the basic knowledge of this discipline, taking into account the world experience and the requirements of the state standard: the place of anthropology in the system of scientific knowledge, the subject, object and methods of research, theory and empirical classics of social anthropology, anthropogenesis (the origin of man) and sociogenesis (evolution of prehistoric society); The typology of early societies and the historical stages of the development of traditional society (hunters and gatherers, tribal order, chiefdom), marriage, family, kinship. The book is intended for students of primary courses of humanitarian universities, as well as everyone who loves this most interesting and most modern science about man and society.

scholarly journals SCIENTIFIC TRADITIONS OR OVERTHROW OF AUTHORITIES: WHAT IS THE CHOICE OF THE WORLD?

Metaphysics ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 133-140
Author(s):  
G. N Gnedash ◽  
D. V Gnedash ◽  
D. A Ivanov
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Social Phenomenon ◽  
Objective Reality ◽  
New Science ◽  
The Past ◽  
Scientific Schools ◽  
The World ◽  
True Meaning

The authors of this article, wondering about science as a completely unique social phenomenon; o note (consider as a objective reality) the crisis of the foundations of modern science; o offer certain principles for creating a new science - «science from scratch»; o reflect on the role of scientific traditions, the specifics, framework and functions of scientific schools of the past, present and future, and most importantly, on the true meaning of scientific knowledge and the mission of a scientist.

Academic Social Networking Sites (ASNS) as Platforms for Knowledge Sharing Among the Scholarly Community

2021 ◽  
pp. 176-188
Author(s):  
Tlou Maggie Masenya
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Academic World ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Contentious Issue ◽  
The World ◽  
Research Problems ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Opening Up

As the world becomes more networked through social media like Facebook, Twitter, etc., the academic world has also developed its own online Academic Social Networks Sites (ASNS), such as ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Google Scholar, Mendeley, Zotero, and Methodspace, just to name a few. Academics and researchers are using these platforms as alternative ways to share and disseminate their research to a wider audience to increase the visibility of their academic output, to support the sharing of data set and to connect with other scholars. However, ASNS are not only enabling researchers to form networks, but are also opening up avenues for them to interact, share ideas and knowledge, and engage in discussions that relate to research practices. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the use of ASNS by researchers and academics and its importance in knowledge sharing. Data collection was largely based on a critical review of literature relating to the use of ASNS for knowledge sharing by academics and researchers. The findings revealed that most academics and researchers are faced with many challenges that hinder the effective use of these network sites. The practice of uploading articles on ASNS has become a contentious issue with publishers claiming infringement of copyright agreements on the part of researchers. Copyright and intellectual property issues thus need to be addressed. The study also observed that, in some instances, academics and researchers were not fully involved in collaborative with other scholars. Collaboration amongst researchers is therefore recommended as it stimulates creativity and helps in addressing this complexity of research. This study, therefore, recommends that researchers can address some of ASNS challenges if they leverage on these factors because resolution of complex research problems issues can only be achieved through cross disciplinary collaboration and this can also pave the way for knowledge sharing in practice.

Inaugural Address

1996 ◽  
Vol 35 (4I) ◽  
pp. 297-305
Author(s):  
Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Development Economics ◽  
Inaugural Address ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Great Pleasure ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The World

Dr Sarfraz Khan Qureshi, Director of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great pleasure for me to be present here this morning. Over the years, the Pakistan Society of Development Economists has made notable contributions to the profession of Economics and Planning. It has also helped to strengthen the evolution of scientific knowledge in Development Economics. More importantly, it has given an institutional shape to the exchange of ideas between economists, other social scientists, and policy-makers. I am happy to note that a large number of distinguished academics and policy-makers from all over the world regularly participate in the Society’s meetings. I earnestly hope that useful policy prescriptions will emerge from the deliberations that take place here about the major issues in economy. Indeed, I wish to extend my appreciation to the Society for providing a lively and effective platform both to researchers and policy-makers.

Uniformity vs. Unity

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 54-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatyana B. Lyubimova
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Greek Philosophy ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Ancient Greek Philosophy ◽  
The World ◽  
Traditional Cultures ◽  
Collective Creation

The question of whether it is possible to philosophize outside the categories of rationalist philosophy is not limited to methodology. It has ideological overtones. Namely, the rationalism that has developed in philosophy in modern times, after Descartes, is inevitably supplemented by mechanics. The world is seen as a machine, the living is reduced to mechanisms. Rationalism becomes a machine of mentality. Taking it as a model of normal thinking, giving it a universal value, we thereby impose Western way of thinking on other cultures with a different mentality. The question, therefore, is not about the method of scientific knowledge but about the power realized through the transformation of mentality. Scientific knowledge conquers space. Philosophy produces a transformation of mentality. New rationalism, according to G. Bachelard, is in dialectical relation with the usual realism of the natural Sciences. In this process, there is the implementation of new schemes developed in the complex interaction of “ratio” and experiment. Modern science is the collective creation of a new reality. This is the reality of the “picture of the world.” There is another view of science, rationalism and modern philosophy. According to him, rationalism is dualism, atomism and social individualism. These features reveal the anti-traditional and anti-metaphysical spirit of modern Western civilization. The traditional approach is non-duality, unity provided by metaphysical principles. The new rationalism in science is characterized by the belief in the infinite progress of knowledge. But knowledge itself, from the point of view of tradition, is devoid of great value. Philosophy uses categories of ancient Greek philosophy or German classical philosophy, but they cannot be considered universal. They corresponded not only to the time and place, the conditions in which they arose, but also to the characteristic mentality of the peoples and individuals who created them. They are not suitable for understanding the metaphysical doctrines of traditional cultures. The language of traditional cultures is symbolic and synthetic in contrast to the analytical language of Western science and philosophy.

scholarly journals Science: Western or What?

2012 ◽  
pp. 52-58
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
The Moon ◽  
The World

Modern science is characterized by an impressive capability to describe in quantitative terms an enormous variety of natural facts. If the world had not been made rationally, scientific knowledge would be impossible. P. Duhem in his “Le systeme du monde…” Vol.II, summarizes the role of the Medieval Catholic Church in destroying the pagan doctrine of the “Great Year” which implies an eternal universe. Unlike in the pagan Greek cosmos, all bodies, heavenly and terrestrial, were now on the same footing. This made eventually possible to think that the slow fall of the Moon in his orbit and the fall of an apple on earth could be governed by the same gravitational law.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document