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Yes

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Yes, yes, yes, absolutely yes. While the practice of science may become mottled and intertwined with ideology, all that means is that we have deviated from it. Science, true science, is a rigid system of facts and strictly follows the scientific method; observation, hypothesis, prediction, experimentation and theory. By the very definition, ideology can not be part of science, though one can base their ideology on science.

The fact that this has become such a public debate surprises me. When you mix the two you, at best, water them down. Many scientists are not representing the essence of their practice by bringing their personal belief into the mix. This is why we have so much junk science out there; people are trying to use a weak and flawed form of "science" to prove all kinds of ridiculous things.

The very definition of science (as in the scientific method) separates it from ideology. This is not to say that your personal ideology can not lead you to apply the scientific method to a particular circumstance, but you'd better be prepared and honest if that method does not lead you to the end that you had hoped or predicted, otherwise you are no longer using science. The two can coexist but not be intertwined, thus the differentiation.

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