A critical metascientific framework that examines the ideological dimensions of
science—the systems of belief, value, and meaning that are embedded in scientific practice and that shape how
science is understood and mobilized. The ideology of
science includes the belief that science is value-
free and objective (which itself is an ideological position), the assumption that scientific progress is inherently good, the
faith that scientific methods can solve all problems (scientism), the narrative of science as the triumph of reason over superstition, and the use of scientific authority to legitimize political and economic arrangements. It also includes the ways scientific concepts (
evolution, competition, efficiency) are mobilized to support particular worldviews, and the ways scientific institutions reproduce existing social hierarchies. Examining the ideology of science reveals that science is never just science—it always carries ideological content, whether acknowledged or not, and understanding science requires understanding how ideology operates within it.
Example: "His ideology of
science analysis showed how 'survival of the fittest' moved from
biology to economics—not because the concept traveled cleanly, but because it served ideological purposes, legitimizing competition and inequality as 'natural.'"
