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The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked an unprecedented public debate over socio-scientific controversies, particularly regarding vaccination and social distancing measures. Despite the potential of such subjects for developing critical thinking and a sense of citizenship, the theme of controversies is still incipient in science museums. This documentary study investigates the way three science institutions have proposed online exhibits on Covid-19 on Google Arts & Culture platform and checks their potential for favoring teaching on controversial science topics. Google Arts & Culture platform was searched for Covid-19-related keywords and the filtering of the results was based on focus and organizing institutions. Three exhibits were detected, whose analysis was submitted to an inter-rater agreement (Cohen's kappa). The results revealed the predominance of social and economic aspects that can strongly favor more scientifically progressive views of both science literacy and a socially undistorted science. On the other hand, the superficiality of political discussions on science topics, a lack of naturalization of the controversial discussions, and an excessive use of textual content were identified, thus revealing some initiatives have not explored the interactivity, multimediality, and the way dilemmas that mark the trajectory of science museums extend to online exhibits. From this perspective, we point out paths for teaching and learning socio-scientific controversies in museums.
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Genetically modified organisms have been at the centre of a major public controversy, involving different interests and actors. While much attention has been devoted to consumer views on genetically modified food, there have been few attempts to understand the perceptions of genetically modified technology among farmers. By investigating perceptions of genetically modified organisms among Brazilian farmers, we intend to contribute towards filling this gap and thereby add the views of this stakeholder group to the genetically modified debate. A comparative analysis of our data and data from other studies indicate there is a complex variety of views on genetically modified organisms among farmers. Despite this diversity, we found variations in such views occur within limited parameters, concerned principally with expectations or concrete experiences regarding the advantages of genetically modified crops, perceptions of risks associated with them, and ethical questions they raise. We then propose a classification of prevailing profiles to represent the spectrum of perceptions of genetically modified organisms among farmers.
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O artigo examina a epidemia de cólera-morbo que atingiu a província de Pernambuco em 1855, focalizando as controvérsias médico-científicas que giraram em torno da definição dos princípios de comunicação da moléstia e dividiram as opiniões médicas entre duas concepções distintas: o contágio e a infecção. São analisados documentos e relatórios produzidos pela Sociedade de Medicina de Pernambuco e pelo Conselho Geral de Salubridade Pública que permitem descrever o programa médico-sanitário oficial formado por engenheiros, cientistas e médicos com o objetivo de construir um projeto de cidade salubre modelo de civilização que integra a remodelação do espaço urbano à disseminação de novos hábitos entre a população. Trata-se, essencialmente, de acompanhar uma ciência e uma sociedade em devir.
The article examines the cholera morbus epidemic that afflicted the province of Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1855, focusing on the medical and scientific controversies about how the disease spread, which split medical opinion into two camps: contagion and infection. Documents and reports produced by the Society of Medicine of Pernambuco and the General Public Health Board were analyzed, based on which it was possible to describe the official medical and sanitation program, involving engineers, scientists, and physicians, designed to plan a salubrious city a model of civilization that combined redeveloping the urban space and disseminating new habits amongst the local people. It is essentially an exercise in observing a science and a society as they take shape.
Assuntos
Humanos , Doenças Transmissíveis , Surtos de Doenças , História do Século XIXRESUMO
El presente trabajo expone un relevamiento empírico de carácter histórico acerca de la inserción, definición y valorización de controversias científicas en psicología en función de ciertas tendencias historiográficas en psicología. Con el objetivo general de revisar la importancia de las instancias controversiales para el desarrollo científico de la psicología, y el objetivo específico de posibilitar acercamientos entre la historiografía de la psicología y los estudios sociales de la ciencia, se describe primero la definición y explicación de las controversias históricas realizadas por la historiografía clásica de la psicología, enfatizándose el carácter anómalo de tales controversias para dicha historiografía dados sus implícitos teórico-metodológicos. Se detalla luego la redefinición realizada en torno a controversias históricas por la nueva historia de la psicología. Se remarca que tal redefinición se debió en parte a la incorporación por los historiadores de ciertos principios y recursos explicativos sociológicos de la historia social de la ciencia y de los estudios sociales de la ciencia. Se concluye sobre el carácter productivo de tal redefinición y de las prospectivas de profundizar en análisis socio-históricos de controversias psicológicas...
This paper presents an empirical (historical) survey about the insertion, definition and valuation of scientific controversies in psychology on the basis of certain historiographical trends in History of Psychology. With the overall objective of reviewing the importance of controversial instances for the scientific development of psychology, and the specific objective of enabling rapprochement between the historiography of psychology and social studies of science, the definition and explanation given about historical controversies by the classic historiography of psychology are first described, emphasizing the anomalous character of such controversies to said historiography given the implicit theoretical and methodological principles of such tradition. The redefinition of historical controversies by the new history of psychology developed since 1970 is then detailed. It is noted that such redefinition took place partly due to the historians incorporation of certain sociological and socio-historical principles and explanatory resources from social history of science and social studies of science. The positive character of such a redefinition and of the foresight of deeper socio-historical analysis of controversies in psychology is then concluded...
Assuntos
Humanos , Ciências Sociais , Empirismo , Historiografia , Psicologia/históriaRESUMO
A fim de analisar a discussão sobre a eficácia do soro antipestoso produzido pelo Instituto de Manguinhos no começo do século XX, faz-se breve apreciação da atuação de Oswaldo Cruz à frente da Diretoria de Saúde Pública e, em seguida, aborda-se a polêmica propriamente por meio da sua correspondência com Miguel Pereira, Vital Brazil, Chapot Prévost e Francisco Fajardo. Evidencia-se, nessas cartas, o grau de incerteza e experimentação que marcava a bacteriologia no Brasil daquele momento, embora, publicamente, ela se apresentasse como conhecimento seguro e inquestionável. Mostra-se como argumentos de natureza extracientífica interferem no desenvolvimento de pesquisas e na aceitação dos produtos médicos.
This analysis of the discussion surrounding the efficacy of the plague serum produced by Manguinhos Institute in the early twentieth century begins with an overview of Oswaldo Cruz's service as head of the Public Health Directorship (Diretoria de Saúde Pública). The controversy itself is then addressed, through an exploration of correspondence exchanged by physicians Oswaldo Cruz, Miguel Pereira, Vital Brazil, Chapot Prévost, and Francisco Fajardo. Their letters reveal how bacteriology in Brazil was then marked by uncertainty and experimentation, even while this field of knowledge publicly touted itself as safe and incontestable. The article shows how arguments of an extra-scientific nature interfere with both research development and the acceptance of medical products.