====== Cargo cult ======

Describes ritualised practices which imitate other practices superficially, but which are carried out without an understanding of their inner functions or meanings, and therefore cannot fulfil their intended functions.

===== Origin of the term =====

"Cargo cult" is the name given to a series of cult-like rites that emerged among various isolated indigenous peoples, especially in [[wp>Melanesia|Melanesia]], after first contact with Western visitors. The latter often brought food, medicine and other goods with them - either as gifts or to pay local workers. When the visitors – and thus the goods they brought – eventually stopped showing up, the natives built [[glossary:simulacrum|simulacra]] of airports, harbours or radio towers in order to imitate what appeared from their understanding like ritualistic acts – such as the signalling movements of ground controllers (“[[wp>Marshaller|marshallers]]”) at an airport. 

However, by imitating only the superficial appearance and not the intrinsic functionality of the facilities and operations, these acts were, as one might expect, unsuccessful in bringing back the goods.

===== Usage =====

The meaning of the concepts "cargo cult" and "[[glossary:simulacrum|simulacrum]]" considerably overlap. The best distinction that can be made is that the former refers primarily to patterns of behaviour or actions, while //simulacra// refers more to things or [[abstraction:reification|reified]] ideas and concepts.

<aside info>
**Note:** The term "cargo cult" can have //racist// connotations if it comes with an implication that the peoples mentioned above lack an understanding of the complexity of the technologies they were trying to imitate. For this reason alone, one should, when in doubt, rather choose "simulacrum" as the more neutral alternative.

However, there is no reason for arrogance towards supposedly "primitive" peoples, because similar phenomena are also widespread in the Western world. In particular, the term has become accepted to describe the following phenomenon:
</aside>

==== Cargo-cult science ====

This term refers to an //imitation// of scientific work that is content to imitate the outward form of [[wp>Science|science]] – possibly in order to associate oneself with its reputation and get an air of [[relevance:authority:index|authority]] – while not understanding or not respecting its core methodology.

The most important aspect of //cargo-cult science// is that, although scientific work takes place in a formal sense, it is not done with the aim of //gaining knowledge//, but rather to enhance one’s own reputation and/or to //confirm// previously predetermined positions.

This can be done, for example, by producing purported "studies" for the purpose of influencing political or social discourse. These usually retain at least a minimum of "scientific" credibility by imitating the outer form of academic publications in terms of typesetting and prose, with numerous footnotes, references to renowned scientists and studies in the bibliography or citations and often complex and hard to understand statistics. At least the better of these "studies" may even be published in a scientific journal, and one has to look closely to find the weaknesses in them.

It would be easy to dismiss such practices as a feature of [[wp>Pseudoscience|pseudosciences]] such as [[wp>Homeopathy|homeopathy]] or [[wp>Astrology|astrology]] – where they are indeed prevalent – but unfortunately tendencies towards "cargo cult" can also be found in the established scientific establishment.

FIXME **This article is still incomplete.**

===== See also =====

  * [[glossary:simulacrum|Simulacrum]]

===== More information =====

  * [[wp>Cargo cult|Cargo cult]] on //Wikipedia//

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