Polarities and the Impairment of Science

Abstract

IT FREQUENTLY happens that the sociologist studies social phenomena while participating in them. As a member of society he is subject to the shaping and distorting effects of his particular environment; his mentality is given form and direction by various influences in subtle and unconscious ways and, even when he consciously reacts against these, the very intensity of the reaction represents homage paid to the original indoctrination. In the perspective of history it is probably true that the ideal of objectivity in the social sciences cannot be attained but there are, nevertheless, certain sources of bias in contemporary society that can be identified and analyzed in order to effect a closer approximation to the ideal. It is in this latter area that the present discussion lies. The particular source of bias that engages our attention is the phenomenon of polarity. As the term is defined here, polarity is a condition of marked cleavage and opposition in society. Attitudes and interests are said to be polarized when they cluster about two opposite poles. Such polarizations, with all their intellectual, emotional and social effects, are the products of competition and conflict. On the level of philosophical verbalization, ideology is opposed by counterideology. The counter-ideologist, instead of examining an issue on its own merits, scrutinizes the opposing doctrine to discover points of disagreement. His mood is that of conflict; consequently, he builds a series of negatives against the affirmations of his opponent. The prevailing spirit of the polarity is that of the debate or of the contest between rival lawyers.'