PROPOSIÇÃO DE UMA ONTOEPISTEMOLOGIA PERSPECTIVISTA EMERGENTISTA PARA O ENSINO DE CIÊNCIAS

Abstract

In this thesis, we advocate for the proposition of an ontoepistemology that enables a pluralistic science education, capable of articulating an emergentist perspectivist understanding of the underlying dynamics in the construction of scientific knowledge. We ground the belief that the emancipatory nature of science education materializes when founded on a philosophical basis that considers it an intrinsic activity of the thinking human being, as the construction of knowledge is the metamorphosis of the self and its reality. This perspective reveals the full meaning of the questioning attitude towards natural and social reality. To achieve this proposal, our research engages with the thematic lines of “History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science” and “Languages and Discourses” in Science Education. Adopting an approach that prescribes the ontological inseparability of intra-acting agencies, we integrate ontology, epistemology, and methodological choices, emphasizing the organic unity between content and form. With this approach, we aim to overcome three contemporary challenges in science education: scientistic myth, scientific denialism, and the challenges of pluralism. The centrality of our ontoepistemological proposal lies in harmonizing abrupt and progressive changes in scientific knowledge. In this context, we adopt a positive heuristic grounded in ontoepistemological literature and the historical development of the sciences. The objectives of the research include a thorough analysis of ontological and epistemological currents, an investigation into the roots of conceptual confusions, and the construction of an ontoepistemological model that promotes an emergentist perspectivist understanding of scientific knowledge construction. Under the category of Historical and Philosophical Analysis Objectives, we plan to explore the interactions between values and scientific practice, analyze historical cases such as the Newtonian synthesis and the genesis of the Theory of Relativity, identify the roots of conceptual confusions that fuel denialist and scientistic approaches, and conduct an exploratory analysis of modern and contemporary epistemologies. Under the category of Objectives for the Construction of the Ontoepistemological Model, we establish necessary conditions for the development of an effective model that promotes an emergentist perspectivist understanding of scientific knowledge. Furthermore, we aim for this ontoepistemological approach to harmonize discontinuous and progressive changes in scientific knowledge, elaborate a model that clarifies the influence of values in the construction of scientific knowledge, and provide robust foundations that support the appreciation and trust in the sciences, even amid challenges such as scientism, denialism, and pluralism in the current context of Science Education. To conduct the research, we opted for a methodology that involves documentary and bibliographic research, focusing on modern and contemporary epistemologies, the Newtonian synthesis, the theory of relativity, and the transfer and recoding method with mathematical topology as an analogical structurer. Thus, by integrating contributions from historical and philosophical analysis, this thesis establishes the necessary conditions for an effective ontoepistemological approach, emphasizing that promoting a perspectivist understanding and providing foundations for an education practice oriented towards values promotion and emancipation is imperative for Contemporary Science Education.