Abstract

CORRAL-GUILLE, Gustavo. SCRUTINIZING REASON: NATURE AND THE PURPOSES OF SCIENCE. LiminaR [online]. 2021, vol.19, n.1, pp.118-128.  Epub Mar 02, 2021. ISSN 2007-8900.  https://doi.org/10.29043/liminar.v19i1.795.

This paper reflects on the urgency of adopting a more complex notion of the nature of scientific knowledge, and how it is constructed, that shifts its emphasis from the assumptions of objectivity, neutrality, and universality to an interpretation that conceives it as a socially-configured, partial, uncertain, and complex phenomenon. A more complex and questioning analysis of science will broaden the possibilities of allowing citizens greater participation in the production and communication of science and establishing a dialogue of knowledge that recognizes the validity of other epistemologies as alternatives to scientific knowledge. A science that is willing to listen more attentively with humility and respect can learn to live with uncertainty and to design strategies that allow it to face its risks and modify its course.

Keywords : nature of science; historical and social studies on science; epistemological pluralism; co-construction of science; public communication of science.