Discurso científico, senso comum e negacionismo: um estudo de representações sociais sobre a ciência

Abstract

Science is an important civilizing value that, however, went through several moments of crisis that had consequences for its credibility and that demanded a revision of its concepts. Making science accountable in this trajectory is important to recognize its mistakes and reformulate its condition of knowledge, its ethical commitment, and its relationship with society. However, negationism is a worrying and growing trend that promotes mistrust in science and compromises scientific practice. It is an emerging phenomenon in interpersonal relationships and fueled by conspiracies and lies, often conducted by popular and opportunistic leaders. The mass media are important opinion-makers in everyday life, which makes it relevant to think about their role in this context, especially when you think about the speed with which information circulates in digital media. The objective of this work was to identify the social representations of science in the digital version of the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, promoting a discussion about the foundations of scientific discourse, common sense knowledge, and the phenomenon of negationism. It was a mixed research, with quantitative and qualitative analyses, exploratory and documental in nature. For data analysis, we used the resource of similitude analysis, made available by the Iramuteq textual analysis software, and the technique of content analysis, enabling the creation of thematic categories and subcategories of the analyzed material. With this, it was possible to carry out a conceptual discussion of the themes with the theoretical framework used in the work. In general, Folha's social representations were positive about science, valuing its dissemination, its use as a resource in different situations, and its importance as a civilizing principle. Concerns were expressed about the denial of science, as well as criticisms of this conduct. However, there was little depth about what is understood about science and scientific knowledge. It was a vague, punctual and, at times, even convenient defense. The defense of science took place largely as rhetoric and little as a way of stimulating readers' reflection. The discussion about science is fundamental for those who value their knowledge and its dissemination and intend to combat negationism. A society that is familiar with and interested in discussing science in its daily life is an effective way to demobilize the negationist tendency.