This study examines the coexistence of science with Christian,Islamic and African religious beliefs and its implications for science communication.Using Moscovici's social representations theory and focusing on hi...This study examines the coexistence of science with Christian,Islamic and African religious beliefs and its implications for science communication.Using Moscovici's social representations theory and focusing on his accommodation hypothesis,the paper draws from experiences in mental health care,vaccination controversies and viral epidemics using case studies from West Africa.It also draws similarities from historical vaccination controversies around the world and the Zika virus epidemic in Brazil.The paper shows that Moscovici's accommodation hypothesis of cognitive polyphasia better explains the coexistence of science and religious belief,which can,however,be doubleedged.It also shows that coexistence can lead to a positive cross-referral system,as in the case of mental health in Ghana;can have initial negative outcomes,as in vaccination campaigns in Nigeria and Cameroon;or can aid the spread and eventual containment of disease,as experienced during the Ebola virus disease epidemic in West Africa.Thus,while science remains a reference beacon in all controversies,its coexistence with religious belief can lead to an initial plunge in authority from which it eventually recovers.The choice of authority is also complicated by the dual role of some scientists as religious leaders and by previous untoward experiences with science,conspiracy theories and rumours about Western interventions in Africa.展开更多
This paper examines the scientific and non-scientific influences on doctorates in South African universities by analyzing the acknowledgements in their theses. The data was extracted from 5644 Ph D theses drawn from f...This paper examines the scientific and non-scientific influences on doctorates in South African universities by analyzing the acknowledgements in their theses. The data was extracted from 5644 Ph D theses drawn from four South African universities. Using data-mining techniques, we identified sources of inspiration, targets of dedication and subjects of acknowledgement. The findings show that over 90% of doctoral candidates expressed appreciation to supervisors and other academics and colleagues, as had been found in previous research. We also found that almost half of the sample acknowledged funding agencies, which indicates the strong role of external finance. The spread of academic networks across Africa, North America and Europe was noteworthy. The findings also show the strong role of religious beliefs, as 39% of the theses acknowledged the assistance of God. The figure was as high as 51% in one of the universities and statistically significant across institutions and faculties. Religious beliefs among scientists also confirm previous research in the US, indicating that ‘scientists are still keeping the faith'.展开更多
The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected everyday life in Africa, a continent that is known for its high levels of religious belief. Using a corpus of news articles and the social representations research paradigm,this...The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected everyday life in Africa, a continent that is known for its high levels of religious belief. Using a corpus of news articles and the social representations research paradigm,this study examines African understandings of the pandemic. It uses installation theory, the wind rose model and the accommodation hypothesis to explore the coexistence between science and belief. The accommodation hypothesis demonstrates that the representations were hierarchical, to elevate God above science.Faith leaders also used the pandemic to enhance faith by blaming sin and urging repentance or blaming science by espousing conspiracy theories about the pandemic being a grand design to draw believers away from God. This paper highlights the great disparity in experience between Africa and the West, initially fuelling conspiracy theories. The findings also reinforce two key conceptual approaches: installation theory on the influence of rules imposed by society on behaviour, and the wind rose model in which representations change over time and in response to social interactions.展开更多
文摘This study examines the coexistence of science with Christian,Islamic and African religious beliefs and its implications for science communication.Using Moscovici's social representations theory and focusing on his accommodation hypothesis,the paper draws from experiences in mental health care,vaccination controversies and viral epidemics using case studies from West Africa.It also draws similarities from historical vaccination controversies around the world and the Zika virus epidemic in Brazil.The paper shows that Moscovici's accommodation hypothesis of cognitive polyphasia better explains the coexistence of science and religious belief,which can,however,be doubleedged.It also shows that coexistence can lead to a positive cross-referral system,as in the case of mental health in Ghana;can have initial negative outcomes,as in vaccination campaigns in Nigeria and Cameroon;or can aid the spread and eventual containment of disease,as experienced during the Ebola virus disease epidemic in West Africa.Thus,while science remains a reference beacon in all controversies,its coexistence with religious belief can lead to an initial plunge in authority from which it eventually recovers.The choice of authority is also complicated by the dual role of some scientists as religious leaders and by previous untoward experiences with science,conspiracy theories and rumours about Western interventions in Africa.
基金supported by the South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technologythe National Research Foundation(NRF)of South Africa(Grant number 93097)
文摘This paper examines the scientific and non-scientific influences on doctorates in South African universities by analyzing the acknowledgements in their theses. The data was extracted from 5644 Ph D theses drawn from four South African universities. Using data-mining techniques, we identified sources of inspiration, targets of dedication and subjects of acknowledgement. The findings show that over 90% of doctoral candidates expressed appreciation to supervisors and other academics and colleagues, as had been found in previous research. We also found that almost half of the sample acknowledged funding agencies, which indicates the strong role of external finance. The spread of academic networks across Africa, North America and Europe was noteworthy. The findings also show the strong role of religious beliefs, as 39% of the theses acknowledged the assistance of God. The figure was as high as 51% in one of the universities and statistically significant across institutions and faculties. Religious beliefs among scientists also confirm previous research in the US, indicating that ‘scientists are still keeping the faith'.
基金support of a grant from Templeton Religion Trust,awarded via the International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society (INSBS)
文摘The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected everyday life in Africa, a continent that is known for its high levels of religious belief. Using a corpus of news articles and the social representations research paradigm,this study examines African understandings of the pandemic. It uses installation theory, the wind rose model and the accommodation hypothesis to explore the coexistence between science and belief. The accommodation hypothesis demonstrates that the representations were hierarchical, to elevate God above science.Faith leaders also used the pandemic to enhance faith by blaming sin and urging repentance or blaming science by espousing conspiracy theories about the pandemic being a grand design to draw believers away from God. This paper highlights the great disparity in experience between Africa and the West, initially fuelling conspiracy theories. The findings also reinforce two key conceptual approaches: installation theory on the influence of rules imposed by society on behaviour, and the wind rose model in which representations change over time and in response to social interactions.
