"Official Science" as social control

Science is supposed to be a systematic method of inquiry, not a set of beliefs and dogmas that one must swear alliegence to or be drummed out of the ranks. So why is this kind of behavior so common? In this case, a critic was attacking a science blogger on Seed about a supposed insufficient commitment to reductionism:

sounds an awful lot like you are circling around the long discredited pit of vitalism. Why isn't it? How is it different?. . .

Are you are in fact headed down the anti-scientific path of "magic stuff" . . .If the former, I will have to withdraw my apology: I will have no truck with 'woo woo' science.

Yes, the guardians of official scientific belief stand guard to protect us from the dangers of 'woo woo' science. We can all breathe easier now. . .