Heresy, orthodoxy, and the politics of science

Abstract

Heresy and orthodoxy are two sides of an interactive process by which institutional identities are formed. Heresy plays a central part in the emergence of orthodoxy by means of the rhetoric it evokes from institutional elites. The orthodox response provoked by the crisis of heresy solidifies authority, defines institutional boundaries, enhances group solidarity, and, as a ritual, becomes an outlet for collective anxiety. The contemporary response of Neo‐Darwinists to the heretical challenges of scientific creationism is an instance of this heresy‐orthodoxy dialectic.

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