Vulgar science and propaganda in the service of power

Introduction

Science, instead of serving truth, can become a tool in the hands of power. This phenomenon can be termed vulgar science – it oversimplifies complex reality to legitimize the existing order. This article analyzes this problem by confronting the theories of George Homans and Jürgen Habermas. It shows how scientific reductionism and propaganda destroy critical thinking, transforming communication into an instrument of control rather than social emancipation.

Vulgar Science: The Legitimization of Power

Vulgar science involves reducing the richness of human experience to simple formulas that justify the status quo. It translates common beliefs into pseudoscientific jargon, losing the ability to critically analyze the structural causes of inequality. In this way, it performs a subversion of axiological concepts, i.e., those relating to values. Great ideas, such as justice, are reduced to subjective feelings or individual calculations.

An excellent example is George C. Homans's social exchange theory. It posits that humans are rational actors who constantly balance gains and losses. In this view, social inequalities are not the result of systemic domination but a natural outcome of individual transactions. Such reductionism masks the true sources of power and presents the market order as universal human nature, rather than a historically shaped system.

Homans and Habermas Expose the Instrumentalization of Science

Both Homans and Habermas, albeit from opposing perspectives, expose the instrumentalization of science. Homans does so unconsciously, creating a model that perfectly serves the legitimization of power. Jürgen Habermas, in contrast, consciously critiques this mechanism. His theory of communicative action posits that the ideal is a debate free from coercion, where the strength of arguments prevails, not power or capital.

Habermas warns, however, that this ideal is threatened by the "system" (state, market), which colonizes the "lifeworld" (everyday interactions). Expert knowledge becomes a tool of technocratic management, aiming to maintain "social peace" rather than pursuing truth. Social communication thus becomes a battleground for meaning, where control over language and the interpretation of reality yields real power.

Propaganda Destroys Rational Communication and Intelligence

Vulgar science and propaganda form a dangerous alliance. The former provides an ideological alibi, while the latter is a tool for managing emotions. Propaganda deliberately bypasses rational debate, creating immediate, reflexive associations. In doing so, it destroys collective intelligence – society's ability to solve problems together. Political lies become a structural tool, as analyzed by Hannah Arendt and Habermas.

Society, in defense against pressure, also employs strategies of deception, concealing true opinions. This leads to the destruction of the "common world" – the fact-based foundation of public debate. Protection against manipulation lies in mechanisms that make lying costly: independent media, open data, and institutions promoting authentic deliberation.

Conclusion

Power will always resort to manipulation until truth becomes a value protected by citizens and independent institutions. Lies, though effective in the short term, ultimately lead to the erosion of trust and the disintegration of community. The question remains whether, as a society, we will learn to distinguish facts from fiction and arguments from propaganda before the world is enveloped in a fog of disinformation.

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