Scientific Calvinism
In Calvinist belief, you are either going to heaven or hell, but there is nothing you can do to change it. The matter has all been decided ahead of time, and your actions count not one bit. Shoplift, kick the cat when you get frustrated, or whatnot– as long as you are one of the elect, bad behavior doesn’t change your status. But then… on the other hand… would you really expect one of the elect to behave so badly? Not really. Those predestined for heaven probably have nice, neat homes, happy marriages, successful businesses, and athletic kids. It’s only natural. And so, in Calvinism, despite a firm doctrinal belief that actions do not influence your attainment of eternal reward, there was a tendency for the religious to work hard and behave nicely anyway. It showed you were probably, though you couldn’t be sure, one of the chosen. (Or so reads my loose, colloquial summary of Weber.)
I have long believed that academic science operates on its own sort of Calvinism. Basically, people believe that you are either one of the predestined (and will become a great scientist, meaning here, tenured professor at a top school) or not. This is mostly believed to be a matter of innate talent. Of course, you should work hard too. But, if you are indeed one of the elect, you will probably think like one too, right? Surely you will be confident of your own abilities and firm in your scientific convictions. Anyone who voices doubts about the scientific endeavor, the working conditions, the chances of getting a tenure-track job in a pleasant part of the country, etc., is suspected to be unfit– not one of the chosen. This is the American way… self-confidence is revered. We listen to those who are full of conviction.
The comment system seems to work, now.
Comment by drshellie — April 19, 2006 @ 1:59 am
Absolutely brilliant and very insightful analogy. Of course, many prominent scientists and gatekeepers believe that the very first test one must pass in order to find out if one belongs to the Elect, is to determine whether one is in possession of a penis.
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Comment by Zuska — April 21, 2006 @ 8:55 pm
Of course, many prominent scientists and gatekeepers believe that the very first test one must pass in order to find out if one belongs to the Elect, is to determine whether one is in possession of a penis.
Sadly true. I have one of the organs in question, and sometimes wonder whether that gets me more serious attention than my thinking (which I swear I do with other organs entirely!) warrants.
The other side of this coin is that men are encouraged from birth to be pushy, to assume all kinds of good things about ourselves, and to see the world as our oyster. Women are encouraged… to be quiet and self-effacing and pretty, as far as I can tell. So there’s a vicious circle in operation: we reward self-confidence outlandishly on one hand, while on the other we only encourage it in half of the population.
And we know, of course, who it is who are “full of conviction”. Well, “passionate intensity”, but I hope I’ve caught the right allusion.
Comment by Bill Hooker — May 10, 2006 @ 3:12 am