What is a world view?
The fundamental framework of beliefs, values, and assumptions through which we interpret and make sense of reality. Like a lens we don’t know we are wearing.
Formative influences
-family and community
-culture and traditions
-religion and spirituality
-place and live experience
-language and stories
-economic position
Reinforcing forces
-institutions
-social norms and expectations
-media and public narratives
-law and policies
-power structures
-repetition of ideas and practises
Knowledge system
A structured shared way of producing validating and transmitting acknowledge. Ex. Methods, values, relationships, institutions, or language.
Western Science
The systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation experimentation, and the testing of theories against the evidence obtained. It is a process, not a set of facts. Cold western science because it developed in Europe.
What changes were occurring during the origin of western science?
The scientific revolution (1500s-1600s), the enlightenment (1600-1800s) and the industrial revolution (1700-1800s)
What were the priorities during the origins of western science?
Predictability, control over nature, communication across empires, productivity, trusted knowledge to support governance
Sir Francis Bacon
1561 to 1626. Early architect of the scientific method, linked knowledge to power and practical application and used science to improve life and control nature.
Rene Descartes
1596 to 1650. Emphasized reason and logic and separated humans from nature.
Isaac Newton
1643 to 1727. Showed that nature follows universal mathematical laws and helped establish prediction and quantification
What science was designed for?
-explaining mechanisms and cause/affect relationships
-making predictions
-detecting patterns beyond direct observation
-building knowledge
-producing generalizable insights
What science was not designed for?
-deciding what should be done based on values and priorities
-deciding what is right or wrong
-interpreting results
-resolving trade-offs between competing goals
-capturing all forms of knowledge
The practical role of science
Tools for exploration and extraction
The ideological role of science
Used to justify hierarchies and exploitation. Ex. Scientific racism, eugenics.
Structural role of science
Supported control of land, people and knowledge. Ex. Classification, museums
Colonization and exploitation events
Doctrine of discovery (1493) justified land seizure, transatlantic slave trade (1500-1800s) exploited people and land, the Indian act (1876) and residential schools disrupted land relationships and indigenous knowledge systems
Amount of land colonized by European powers by 1914
~84%
Extraction of nature and knowledge
Bio prospecting of medicines without consent or benefit sharing, indigenous crops incorporated into global systems and economies
Control and redefinition of knowledge
European taxonomy replaced local names and knowledge systems, knowledge often removed from its cultural and ecological context
Ecological and social impacts of colonization and science
Urbanization and industrialization, economic dependence on resource extraction, removal of people from lands, disruption of indigenous land stewardship and cultural practises
Neo colonialism
The continuation of colonial patterns of control were external institutions influence or control decision-making, knowledge production, and resource use, often marginalizing indigenous peoples, and their knowledge systems
Parachute science
Researchers fly into communities, collect data, published findings and leave. No co-author ship, no data return, no benefits to the people or placed studied.
Knowledge extraction
Biological samples, medicines and knowledge are collected, studied and sometimes patented without community involvement or benefit sharing
