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Alternatives to scientific inquiry Scientific inquiry Limits of scientific inquiry The research process Aids |
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Traditional beliefs Traditional beliefs are accepted as true simply because previous generations passed them on to the next generation as true. Traditional beliefs are not necessarily true or false; right or wrong; good or bad. From a social point of view, some traditional beliefs have positive results. Traditional medicines, based on local plants, have cured illnesses in many societies for generations. Scientists are now examining these "folk" remedies to find new medicines. Other traditional beliefs, however, have negative effects. In some societies, women follow the belief of "eating down" — eating less than normal or, at least, not increasing their food intake during pregnancy. This practice is based on the belief that eating down will limit the size of the baby and, thus, avoids a difficult delivery (Brems and Berg, 1989; Harrison, 1992, p. 21; and El Hiday and Zumrawi, 1992, p. 31). In addition, societies have a number of beliefs about food that should be avoided during pregnancy. In many regions of India, for example, animal foods (eggs, fish, meat), which are quite nutritious for pregnant women, are perceived as harmful during pregnancy (Nag, 1994). Apart from their possible negative social effects, social scientists have serious objections to accepting traditional beliefs as true. In traditional societies, beliefs rest on the power of the group to make members of the group believe them. Where tradition prevails, there is no procedure for testing the truthfulness of beliefs: They simply have to be accepted as true. To question a belief could bring scorn or even punishment from other members of the group. As a researcher, we urge you to analyze the basis of statements you have been told are true. The fact that "everybody says" this or that is true is not a scientific basis for accepting what is true. Accepting statements based on tradition could prevent you from conducing scientifically acceptable research. In contrast, scientists base their conclusions, the statements expressing what was learned from research, only on what has been observed, and not on the basis of what is generally thought to be true. Authoritarian beliefs rest on the fact that members of a group accept a statement as true because persons in powerful positions in the group say the statement is true. These persons may be tribal or religious leaders, elders, military officials, political leaders, teachers or scientists. Challenging a statement by a prominent authority requires courage and judgment. Some authorities, like scientists or teachers, spend a great deal of time and effort to master a field of knowledge. We rely on these specialists to provide knowledge for our use. But even scientists sometimes disagree on certain points. Further, a scientist recognized as an authority in one field may act like an expert in another field, even when the scientist has no exceptional knowledge in that field and could be plain wrong! To prevent or correct errors scientists demand evidence in support of any statement about our natural world, regardless of who says it is true. In The Nature of Inquiry, Professor Darden, University of Maryland, United States, shows how even highly respected scientists can be wrong. She provides a readable and thoughtful essay in response to the question: "Are there cases of famous scientists who did good work but also made honest mistakes?" In answering this question, Professor Darden also illustrates the self correcting processes of science. Each of us has a variety of personal experiences as we grow up and interact daily with others. We not only learn from these experiences, but we also develop our own unique ways of processing these experiences in our brains. Through these processes, we reach conclusions about events all the time. To illustrate, based on your experiences with family members, friends and others, you have probably decided that most people are fair and honest. The expansion of your conclusion from the limited experience you have had with a relatively small number of persons to "most" persons is an example of forming a broader more general statement or what scientists call drawing a generalization. The purpose of social research is to produce generalizations about people and their interactions in groups. In forming generalizations from the data they collect, social scientists guard against making errors that we all sometimes make in drawing conclusions from everyday experiences. The names of authors and dates of publications are used in research reports to identify publications. The full reference for these and other publications we cite are listed in the list of References. See Chapter 4 for details on how to prepare and cite references. 1 The names of authors and dates of publications are used in research reports to identify publications. The full reference for these and other publications we cite are listed in the list of References. See Chapter 4 for details on how to prepare and cite references. |