Abstracts Political Science

A indiferença epistêmica e suas manifestações : desafios para o ensinar na sociedade da ignorância

by Luiz Guilherme Lucho de Araujo

The epistemic insouciance presented in the theory of epistemic vices by Quassim Cassam is an alternative that can justify some positions adopted by people in the face of the knowledge produced throughout the history of science. As much as science does not intend to present absolute truths, its stages and methods seek to rigorously evaluate its decisions and actions in the face of the facts of reality. We have been living with denialist movements and various conspiracy theories for some time, which arise and change over time, however, with the infodemic made possible by recent technological advances, we have observed a considerable increase in the dissemination of false and malicious information. From somewhat harmless ideas such as the discussion about the shape of the earth, to the denial of the Covid-19 vaccine, Brazil and the world are going through a chaotic and disturbing period. The positions of political leaders and part of the population led to the death of several people simply because they did not accept the proposals that were directed by bodies such as the World Health Organization, among others, thus contributing to a scenario that increased the impacts of the pandemic and generating a significant number of deaths. In addition, epistemic insouciance is capable of causing obstacles to the educational process, especially in science teaching, which has as one of its principles to form critical students capable of verifying scientific concepts and processes, enabling a better distinction between real and false information. The so-called Fake News has the ability to spread false assumptions, in addition to creating obstacles and promoting an attitude of indifference in the society that was once called the information society, a field evidenced in the society of ignorance. Another factor investigated in this work is the manifestation of scientism in this society, the bizarre scientism, which does not go through the rigor or criteria established after years of investigation and modification, simply presents itself as a bizarre and dangerous copy that delights those who need to reaffirm unfounded hypotheses and propose means disconnected from reality. In short, they present easy solutions to complex problems. Finding alternatives to prepare the population for the society of ignorance, which is increasingly connected and capable of producing disinformation in unprecedented proportions, is quite a challenge. In the Brazilian educational scenario, which has already suffered from several sanctions in recent years, the manifestation of epistemic vices aggravates the learning process, as obstacles prevent clear communication between teachers and students, generating a lack of connection between school discussions and knowledge acquired in the network. In view of the exposition on epistemic vices, especially epistemic insouciance, we can propose scientific literacy as an alternative to the various obstacles that arise from vicious postures, identified in such troubled periods, whether in classical denialism, in…