printTrust to science in modern Russia in the contexts of the plurality of forms of knowledge
Zarubina N.N.
Dr. Sci. (Philos.), Prof., Department of Sociology, MGIMO University, Moscow, Russia n-zarubina@yandex.ru
Zarubina N.N. Trust to science in modern Russia in the contexts of the plurality of forms of knowledge . Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2018. No 5. P. 110-120
The problems of the spread of unscientific knowledge and pseudoscience in modern Russia are considered on the basis of the discourse analysis of the struggle against pseudoscience. Necessity of developing correct theoretical bases for the separation of unscientific forms of knowledge (mysticism, esotericism) from pseudoscience as unreasonable, unreliable theories, claiming to be scientific is substantiated. It is shown that the sociocultural transformations of post-Soviet Russia and Russian academic science have undermined credibility of scientific knowledge in society. This contributes to the spread of mythological, religious, everyday knowledge, which gives answers to worldview questions of mass audiences replacing the scientific picture of the world. Necessity of researching reasons for actualization of unscientific knowledge and archaic cognitive layers of public consciousness in modern society is argued for. The latent consequence of the traditional trust of non-professional audiences towards science are the scientification of unscientific knowledge and the spread of pseudoscience, based on the authority of scientific degrees and titles. It justifies a necessity of not only criticizing unscientific forms of knowledge and exposing pseudoscience, but also revealing their latent functionality, which is the reason for their spread in society today.
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