Rituals are intentional repetitions of conduct.
By conduct, repetition, behaviour can become reflex.
By reflex conditioning, the conscious experience is changed.
As reflex, behaviour can be unconsciously triggered by context.

Many aspects of science are ritualistic.
Indeed, this can be compared to any church mass.
Scientists parade in similar manners, and ways, as do priests.
In many respects he places of science also function as temples.

Demand for ritual

Ritual is involved, in dress code, social ceremony, speech pattern and body language.
Ritual is often insisted upon, as token of allegiance to the social system (compliance).
Ritual is also used for enrolment, promotion, retirement and expulsion from 'science’,
'Science as such is defined by the rituals that scientist use and invent; as their 'code'.

Ritual is demanded when scientists are to repeat experiment for result confirmation.
Repeating an experiment requires that it is done in the same physical (ritual) manner.
It also however implies that it is done with the same intent and the same attitude for the same outcome.
One aspect of ritual is that it conditions consciousness for a change in realisation.

I often joke that scientists all  see the same because the all look through the same key hole.
However, they deny that the keyhole exists; and thus deny that they peep through it.
Yet all are standing bent over, looking with one eye, gazing intently.
Yet they are unaware that they are doing this; because ritual is unconsciously enacted.

Ritual: an example

The following needs to be presented as caricature.
A caricature brings out the character, by distortion.
It amplifies exemplifies to bring out crucial details.
Once recognised, they help see an innate/underlying pattern.

I joked that scientists look at reality through a keyhole.
Microscopes, telescopes, oscilloscopes, periscopes...
The perception of reality is via some minute window.
Nowadays that keyhole is drawn out over computer screens.

I tend to mime the position of a scientist stooping over.
In looking through the keyhole, they all learn to bend down.
But ... they get so used to it that they forget that they do it.
They 'grow into it' during their studies; and never grow out of it.

Conferences of scientists i characterise as people talking bent-over.
They all talk while stooped, but they all think it is normal.
They all see each other do it; that too they consider normal.
Like Japanese businessmen swapping Business cards; to never walk straight.

Reflex Ritual

We do many actions by sheer reflex; see "The Bones of Belief".
Sometimes we do things repeatedly, to condition reflexes.
Riding a bike thereby, e.g. becomes automatic, lasting life-long.
What we learn likewise is assumed to last a life time; just as a reflex.

Many mystical training operate by conditioning reflexes.
Many religions and churches operate by conditioning beliefs.
Science, as combination of both, conditions both.
Scientists condition reflexes, and beliefs, of observation.

Hollow Ritual

Scientists observe a specific kind of comportment; "behaviour".
What they call "objectification" is the adherence to that behaviour.
I choose to call that comportment for what it is: a “ritual” or a “rite”.
In the same manner we can regard science as a church or a cult.

Scientists, especially, will object against that presentation.
They proclaim that science emerged in opposition against church doctrine.
Yet, less than a few centuries later we find they are the same.
Science not has its fundamentalist; which i call "unscientists".

I have described that definition elsewhere.
"Unscientists are those who profess they know and recognise unscience".
"Unscientists wish to block research, and use i.a. emotional blackmail".
Science on the other hand, always explores the unknown, without bias.

Unreal Ritual

Ritual is by definition reflex (conditioning) behaviour.
Ritual (repetition) is generally done to condition as yet not existing reflexes.
Ritual in that sense is a make-belief pretence sham fake activity/action.
This becomes (very) problematic when the scientists involved do not know what ‘Ritual’ is.

There are very many rituals which determine the (reflex) behaviour of scientists.
Admission into ‘the guild’, acceptance and promotion is done via ritual (Rites).
Presentations and meeting take placed in the form of prescribed protocols (Ritual).
Ritual operates at unconscious reflex levels, therefore scientists are unaware of the effects.

Occult Ritual

Ritual starts as a make-belief pretence action.
By repetition the action becomes a reflex.
As reflex it is no longer a conscious experience.
Therefore the reflex takes place hidden outside of conscious experience.

It is in this manner that many activities by scientists, thus science, are ‘hidden’  (“occult”).
The reflex rituals condition a custom/climate where some questions are no longer asked.
The reflex ritual habit also creates a mind set where a ‘hidden reality’ is considered to be ‘normal’.
In this way the damaging/devastative effect of the research of many scientists can remain hidden from (response-able) view.

Deceptive Ritual

Ritual places part of the experience of the performer outside of reality.
Psychiatrist call this ‘derealisation’; the creation of a fake reality (for self-protection).
Scientists have done this by pretending that they were outsiders of reality.
They could maintain this superstition only by demanding that new members accept the same idea (if not, they could not pas exams and could not be admitted.)

Scientific examination, scientific testing, scientific presentations and scientific promotions are rituals (Rites).
They serve to select who can become ‘fellow scientist’ (Guild member).
They also serve to preserve ill ideas and social superstitions.
Only those who comply with the rituals, as demanded, will be accepted.