Construction and reality: Mario Bunge's scientific realism and the teaching of sciences through models

In this paper we criticize the constructivist movement, which according to our view has overestimated the role of individual constructions, in detriment to the ontological dimension of scientific knowledge. It will be developed based on some critical papers directed to the constructivist movement an...

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Main Author: Maurício Pietrocola
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 1999-09-01
Series:Investigações em Ensino de Ciências
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.if.ufrgs.br/ienci/artigos/Artigo_ID54/v4_n3_a1999.pdf
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author Maurício Pietrocola
author_facet Maurício Pietrocola
author_sort Maurício Pietrocola
collection DOAJ
description In this paper we criticize the constructivist movement, which according to our view has overestimated the role of individual constructions, in detriment to the ontological dimension of scientific knowledge. It will be developed based on some critical papers directed to the constructivist movement and on an analysis of the reception of Thomas Kuhn's ideas by research in science teaching. One of our conclusions will suggest that constructivism does not place enough emphasis in the grasping of a reality that is associated to the physical world. That ends up reflecting a weakening of scientific knowledge in face of other forms of knowledge., establishing a kind of epistemological relativism among the various forms of knowing. In this sense, we present Mario Bunge's ideas on the role of models in science and their linkages to reality. Thus, we aim at minimizing the excesses contained in constructivist and realist theses, that is, the trend to view each human construction as an activity that does not have any links to the ontological dimension of the world, and to see all realism as a purge of human action.
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spelling doaj.art-302f379be995451eaa2299a797ca32fe2022-12-21T18:37:28ZengUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulInvestigações em Ensino de Ciências1518-87951999-09-0143213227Construction and reality: Mario Bunge's scientific realism and the teaching of sciences through modelsMaurício PietrocolaIn this paper we criticize the constructivist movement, which according to our view has overestimated the role of individual constructions, in detriment to the ontological dimension of scientific knowledge. It will be developed based on some critical papers directed to the constructivist movement and on an analysis of the reception of Thomas Kuhn's ideas by research in science teaching. One of our conclusions will suggest that constructivism does not place enough emphasis in the grasping of a reality that is associated to the physical world. That ends up reflecting a weakening of scientific knowledge in face of other forms of knowledge., establishing a kind of epistemological relativism among the various forms of knowing. In this sense, we present Mario Bunge's ideas on the role of models in science and their linkages to reality. Thus, we aim at minimizing the excesses contained in constructivist and realist theses, that is, the trend to view each human construction as an activity that does not have any links to the ontological dimension of the world, and to see all realism as a purge of human action.http://www.if.ufrgs.br/ienci/artigos/Artigo_ID54/v4_n3_a1999.pdfconstructivismscientific realismmodelsscience teaching
spellingShingle Maurício Pietrocola
Construction and reality: Mario Bunge's scientific realism and the teaching of sciences through models
Investigações em Ensino de Ciências
constructivism
scientific realism
models
science teaching
title Construction and reality: Mario Bunge's scientific realism and the teaching of sciences through models
title_full Construction and reality: Mario Bunge's scientific realism and the teaching of sciences through models
title_fullStr Construction and reality: Mario Bunge's scientific realism and the teaching of sciences through models
title_full_unstemmed Construction and reality: Mario Bunge's scientific realism and the teaching of sciences through models
title_short Construction and reality: Mario Bunge's scientific realism and the teaching of sciences through models
title_sort construction and reality mario bunge s scientific realism and the teaching of sciences through models
topic constructivism
scientific realism
models
science teaching
url http://www.if.ufrgs.br/ienci/artigos/Artigo_ID54/v4_n3_a1999.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT mauriciopietrocola constructionandrealitymariobungesscientificrealismandtheteachingofsciencesthroughmodels