The world is in profound trouble as mounting military conflicts and accelerating ecological crises set us up for a century of uncertainty. To find orientation in tumultuous times, in the past, society has looked up to one specific institution: science. The question remains, though, whether and how science is able to offer a different kind of guidance than ideology. Today, in times of socio-political and ecological crises, let alone the attacks on academic freedom and constitutional norms in the U.S., these questions need our attention more than ever.
In our new Special Issue on ‘Science and Ideology’, we invite you to offer your take on such questions that have permeated the philosophy of science since its inception. Can and should science be free from ideology? Past work has separated this discussion into two main perspectives: On the one hand, there are those who advocate for a science that is and should be ideologically neutral (e.g., Friedman 1953) and whose objective is to incrementally cumulate objective knowledge (e.g., Popper 1972). On the other hand, there are those claiming that science is not and cannot be ideologically neutral. This is because of normative assumptions and research programs that underlie scientific approaches (e.g., Lakatos 1970 or Funtowicz and Ravetz 1993), let alone epistemic reasons against the possibility of objective knowledge, warranting situated claims, that is, claims that acknowledge the positionality of the knower (e.g., Haraway 1988).
We invite you to contribute to this debate by developing your own perspective: What do you think? What is the place of ideology in science? What is the place of science in ideology?
Below, you can find a non-exhaustive list of topics that you may want to explore (500-1000 words). You can, of course, propose your own topic.
We are keen to hear your views!
Deadline to submit an abstract (150 words): We accept submissions on a running basis until the end of 2025.
How to submit: Please follow our submission guidelines that are available here.
| Categories | Example questions/topics |
| The Philosophy of Science and Ideology |
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| Sustainability science and ideology |
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| Ideology in economic ideas |
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| The political economy of scientific research funding |
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| Identity, diversity, equity, and inclusion in science |
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