Using materials from the item and elsewhere, assess the view that there is little difference between scientific theories, religious doctrines and political ideologies

Using materials from the item and elsewhere, assess the view that there is little difference between scientific theories, religious doctrines and political ideologies.

An ideology is most commonly regarded as a set of ideas and values shared by a social group. Some people, for example Inclusivists, believe that there is little difference between scientific theories, religious doctrines and political ideologies. This is because an Inclusivist’s definition of religion is very broad. Anything which binds societies together or if groups have shared norms and values, it is considered a religion. This shows there is little difference between the concepts as it can be argued that all 3 bring societies or groups together due to shared norms and values. There are basic differences between the view of science and religion. The view of science is objective. Science believes in experiment and observation and teaches its followers that nothing is to be believed until scientific fact and evidence has been provided. Religion, on the other hand, teaches its followers to have faith in religious doctrines despite them having no evidence and is a very subjective concept. However there are similarities between all three concepts, as they are all socially constructed and they all help to make sense of the world. Another thing they all have in common is that there are certain groups/individuals that will benefit more than others. For example, from a Marxist perspective, the bourgeoisie (the ruling class) will benefit more from the capitalist system as they exploit the proletariat (the working class) by giving them a false consciousness. It could also be argued that people with higher power in politics benefit more from the ideologies as their opinions and ideas are more significant and have much more of an impact in society. Religious doctrines also provide authority figures such as priests and it can be argued that they benefit more from religion than others as, as well as gaining a sense of belonging, these religious authority figures are paid whilst others are expected to donate and contribute to the religion. Although there are aspects of the concepts which make them similar, the item suggests they also have differences. “political belief systems are based upon views about how society should be organised and do not have a supernatural element.” Unlike religious doctrines and scientific theories, which use “the supernatural” as an explanation for events that occur in the world, political ideologies are made by society, for society. People are beginning to not trust scientific theories as they believe it is becoming the servant of industry and commerce. However, Religion has been around for centuries and is based on faith, therefore its follower will never question it. In conclusion, there are aspects which the 3 concepts have in common, but major differences such as needed evidence to support a theory or not suggest that they are completely different.