A belief system is a set of mutually supportive beliefs. Many sociologists see science as a product of the process of rationalisation that began with the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century and its success has spread to a widespread ‘faith in science’. Whereas ideology is a belief system by definition - a worldview or a set of ideas and values.

Science has had a huge impact on society in the last few centuries with medicines curing fatal diseases and advances in communication and technology. Science and technology has revolutionised economic productivity and raised standards of living. This success has led to a widespread belief in science; believing science can ‘deliver the goods’. However, this faith has been dimmed by science causing problems. For example pollution, weapons and global warming are products of science. While science protects us from natural dangers, it creates its own manufactured risks. However the good and bad effects of science show features distinguishing it from other belief systems – known as its cognitive power. It enables us to explain, predict and control the world in a way that non-scientific or pre-scientific belief systems cannot do.

According to Popper, science has been so successful in explaining and controlling the world because it is an ‘open’ belief system. This means that every scientist’s theories are open to scrutiny, criticism and testing by others. As a result, science is governed by the principle of falsification - scientists set out to try and falsify theories, deliberately seeking evidence that would disprove them. If the evidence from an experiment or observation contradicts a theory and shows it to be false, the theory can be discarded and the search for a better explanation can begin. In science, knowledge claims live or die by the evidence. With regard to this, Popper argues that discarding falsified