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45History and Philosophy of Science in Science Education, in BrazilIn Michael R. Matthews (ed.), International Handbook of Research in History, Philosophy and Science Teaching, Springer. pp. 2271-2299. 2014.This paper addresses the context of emergence, development, and current status of the use of history and philosophy of science in science education in Brazil. After a short overview of the three areas (history of science, philosophy of science, and science education) in Brazil, the paper focuses on the application of this approach to teaching physics, chemistry, and biology at the secondary school level. The first Brazilian researches along this line appeared more consistently in the decade of 1…Read more
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11Becquerel e a Descoberta da Radioatividade: Uma Análise CríticaEditora da Uepb, Livraria da Física. 2012.
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32A doutrina das causas finais na Antiguidade. 3. A teleologia na natureza, de Teofrasto a GalenoFilosofia E Hist’Oria da Biologia 9 (1): 79-120. 2014.This paper studies the history of teleological thought in Antiquity, after Aristotle, analyzing three relevant episodes: the contribution of Theophrastus – a companion and successor of Aristotle; Stoicism, as described by Cicero in his work On the nature of gods; and Galen’s anatomical and physiological works, especially his book On the utility of the parts of the human body. This analysis exhibits the broad diversity of views concerning final causes in Antiquity, all of them widely different fr…Read more
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1133A influência de Aristóteles na obra astrológica de Ptolomeu (o Tetrabiblos)Trans/Form/Ação 18 51-78. 1995.This work describes the main basic concepts of the astrological work of Ptolemy, through an analysis of his Tetrabiblos. Comparing his ideas to those of other authors of his time, it is shown that Ptolemy does not present stoic influences, as claimed by some historians. The conclusion of the article is that the basis of Ptolemy's astrology was Aristotle's physics.
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33¿Que es el descubrimiento científico de un nuevo fenómeno?Epistemologia E Historia de la Ciencia 5 281-288. 1999.Norwood Hanson's last paper (“An anatomy of discovery”, 1967) presented an analysis of the very concept of "discovery". Many recent historiographical works discuss episodes of scientific discovery, but there are few epistemological analyses of this concept. The present paper attempts to improve Hanson's work, proposing a hierarchical series of discovery levels. The analysis presented here establishes the conditions that should be satisfied in order to ascribe the scientific discovery of a new p…Read more
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23This paper discusses the role of analogy in pre-theoretical experimental research, studying a particular historical case (the discovery and early investigation of X rays) and using the methodological ideas of William Stanley Jevons. The historical data and Jevons’ analysis suggest that the discovery of a completely new phenomenon is due to chance, but soon afterwards it is necessary that some assumptions provide a guidance to the research – otherwise, observations and experiments would occur at …Read more
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28Espaço, tempo e éter na teoria da relatividadeIn Marcelo Knobel & Peter A. Schultz (eds.), Einstein: Muito Além da Relatividade, Instituto Sangari. pp. 31-60. 2010.
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44A origem dos pombos domésticos na estratégia argumentativa de DarwinFilosofia E Hist’Oria da Biologia 7 (1): 91-116. 2012.In the first chapter of the Origin of species and in two chapters of the Variation of animals and plants under domestication, Darwin discusses the origin of domestic pigeons, claiming that all the known breeds were produced from a single species: Columba livia, the rock pigeon. The detailed defense of this point is of high relevance in Darwin’s argumentation strategy, since the differences between the several domestic breeds is so large that, if they were found in the wild, they could be classif…Read more
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11Experimental tests of isometry hypothesesBritish Journal for the Philosophy of Science 33 (3): 296-304. 1982.
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93O que é a ciência, do ponto de vista da epistemologia?Caderno de Metodologia E Tã©Cnica de Pesquisa 9 5-20. 1999.The issue concerning the nature of science can be dealt in different ways. The question “What is science?” can receive empirical answers (what has been science, historically?), normative answers (what should be science?) and analytical ones (what could be science?). The two later approaches concern Philosophy. This paper criticises some philosophical attitudes towards science (relativism, dogmatism, scepticism, ecletism). It claims the existence of a well grounded acquired epistemological wisdom…Read more
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49Voltaire, Maupertuis e o debate sobre o princípio de ação mínima no século XVIII: aspectos científicos e extracientíficosFilosofia Unisinos 8 (2): 146-169. 2007.Towards the middle of the 18th century, Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis proposed the “principle of least action” as a fundamental law of physics and as a proof of the existence of God. Samuel König and other contemporary authors criticized Maupertuis’ work. There ensued a fierce discussion concerning this subject, in which Leonhard Euler, the king Frédéric II of Prussia and Voltaire took part. This paper discusses that debate, emphasizing its extrascientific features and analyzing the interest…Read more
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39History and Philosophy of Physics in the South Cone (edited book)College Publications. 2013.The Association of Philosophy and History of Science in the South Cone is a non-profit academic association, founded on May 5th, 2000, in Quilmes, Argentina, at the closing ceremony of the 2nd Meeting of Philosophy and History of Science in the South Cone. The creation of this Association was the result of the interest to deepen and strengthen the exchange between the researchers in Philosophy and History of Science from the countries of the South Cone, from the two first meetings that took plac…Read more
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33Estado de repouso e estado de movimento: uma revolução conceitual de DescartesIn Luiz Peduzzi, André Ferrer Martins & Juliana Ferreira (eds.), Temas de História e Filosofia da Ciência no Ensino, Editora Da Ufrn. pp. 291-308. 2012.
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31A doutrina das causas finais na Antiguidade. 1. A teleologia na natureza, dos pré-socráticos a PlatãoFilosofia E Hist’Oria da Biologia 8 (1): 107-132. 2013.From Antiquity to the 19th century it was very common to explain natural phenomena (especially biological ones) through final causes. This paper analyses one of the periods of development of this concept, in Antiquity, with special emphasis upon the contributions of Socrates and Plato. They introduced the idea of an intelligent and beneficial god, who plans the structure of the universe and of all beings in the best possible way. This concept was strongly influential in later periods. RESUMO: …Read more
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29A Popperian Evaluation of Einstein's Theory-Plus-Method in Numero Especial dedicado a Popper/Special Issue devoted to PopperManuscrito. Revista Internacional de Filosofia 9 (2): 95-124. 1986.This paper presents an analysis of several experimental tests of Einstein's theories, together with their Popperian evaluation and a discussion of Einstein's reaction to these tests. It is shown that several relevant refutations of Einstein's theories were not accepted by Einstein as significant, and that therefore Einstein did not follow Popper's methodological rules. This is regarded as a strong case against Popper's criterion of demarcation.
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20Ørsted, Ritter and magnetochemistryIn Robert Brain, Cohen Robert & Ole Knudsen (eds.), Hans Christian Ørsted and the Romantic Legacy in Science: Ideas, Disciplines, Practices, Springer. pp. 339-385. 2007.
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22Límites del pensamiento científico: análisis de algunos conflictos entre física e filosofíaEpistemologia E Historia de la Ciencia 8 266-273. 2002.Este trabajo discute si hoy todavía es posible admitir que hay principios a priori que no pueden ser abandonados por la física. La historia indica que ciertas “imposibilidades” filosóficas (como el movimiento, el vacuo y la acción directa a distancia) fueron sucesivamente abandonadas por la física. En el siglo XX, la mecánica cuántica rechazó al determinismo y al principio de simetría. La opinión más común entre los científicos es la de que cuando hay un conflicto entre física y filosofía hay qu…Read more
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38Filosofia E História da Ciência no Cone Sul. Seleção de Trabalhos do 5o Encontro (edited book)Associação de Filosofia e História da Ciência do Cone Sul, AFHIC. 2008.This book contains a selection of papers presented at the V South Cone Meeting of Philosophy and History of Science. The language of the chapters is Portuguese, Spanish or English. Published by the South Cone Association for Philosophy and History of Science, www.afhic.org.
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33Acceptación o rechazo de las hipótesis o teorías: un nuevo método de análisisEpistemologia E Historia de la Ciencia 5 273-280. 1999.Although historians and philosophers of science usually try to explain the acceptance or rejection of hypotheses or theories by scientists, there are no well definite criteria to evaluate when a scientist accepts or rejects a theory/hypothesis. This work proposes a new method of analysis. The attitudes of scientists towards a theory or hypothesis are classified according to three dimensions (cognitive, instrumental and strategic). This method is exemplified by the study of the attitude of the Br…Read more
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35Física: estudos filosóficos e históricos (edited book)AFHIC-Associação de Filosofia e História da Ciência do Cone Sul. 2006.Apresentação / Pablo Lorenzano Introdução / Os editores Princípios em cosmologia / Antonio Augusto Passos Videira Aleatoriedad vs. arbitrariedad en la mecánica estadística clásica / Eduardo H. Flichman La teoría galileana de la materia: resolutio e infinitos indivisibles / Fernando Tula Molina Ciencia y música en la obra de Vincenzo Galilei (ca. 1520-1591) / Guillermo Boido & Eduardo Kastika T-invariancia, irreversibilidad, flecha del tiempo: similares pero diferentes / Olimpia Lombardi Mapa das…Read more
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111La naturaleza de la pseudociencia: algunas consideraciones sobre el estudio de fenómenos inexistentesEpistemologia E Historia de la Ciencia 7 317-328. 2001.O conceito de pseudo-ciência procura identificar propostas que têm uma aparência científica mas que não satisfazem critérios rigorosos de cientificidade. Alguns exemplos muito citados de pseudo-fenômenos estão os fatos alegados pela parapsicologia e pela astrologia. Para caracterizar a pseudo-ciência alguns autores propuseram critérios psicológicos, sociológicos ou metodológicos. O objetivo básico de uma caracterização metodológica dos pseudo-fenômenos é permitir identificar aquilo que parece ex…Read more
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58George John Romanes e a teoria da seleção fisiológicaEpisteme 11 (24): 197-208. 2006.This paper discusses George John Romanes’ (1848-1894) contributions to evolution theory. In his early evolutionary work, Romanes could be regarded as a mere disciple and collaborator of Darwin. Strictly speaking, a follower of Darwin would only attempt to develop and to diffuse Darwin’s ideas, to apply them to new cases, to obtain new evidence for this theory and to answer to problems and objections against Darwin’s theory. However, after working for some time under Darwin’s guidance (for instan…Read more
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55Natural or violent motion? Galileo's conjectures on the fall of heavy bodiesDialoghi  Rivista di Studi Italici 2 45-67. 1998.According to Aristotelian physics, there was a fundamental distinction between natural and violent motion. When the cause of the motion was internal to the moving body, that motion was regarded as natural. Violent motion was supposed to have an external efficient cause. It should stop as soon as this external cause ceased its action. The fall of a body was believed to have an internal cause – the very nature of the heavy body – but the motion of a projectile was supposed to be accidental and a v…Read more
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University of São PauloResearcher
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Areas of Specialization
General Philosophy of Science |