Science and religion: looking for a conciliation under William James’ pragmatic philosophy and some considerations for Science Teaching

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15536/reducarmais.6.2022.2845

Keywords:

Science and Religion, William James, Philosophy of Religion, Science Teaching

Abstract

Our study discusses some possibilities to deal with science and religion in the classroom, taking William James’ pragmatic philosophy and his understanding of what constitutes a religious perspective. To address this topic, we adopted a model of dialogue between science and religion and articulated this model with James philosophy. We try to relate this perspective with science teaching, what can possibly improve public understanding of science, at least for younger students in high school. The objective is to present James’ philosophy of religion and relate it to the vision of important scientists in the context of Physics, in particular some scientists who are better known to the public in general, related to the emergence of Quantum Physics. The research is qualitative in nature and is mainly based on an analysis of James' work, articulating with the views of scientists important to Quantum Physics development. At the end we also present some data referring to a questionnaire applied with students, to enrich our study. Our study suggests some possibilities for Physics Teaching, regarding the possibility of dealing with religiosity in the classroom.

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Author Biographies

André Felipe Hoernig, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS

Graduado em Licenciatura em Física pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (2017) e Mestrado em Ensino de Física pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ensino de Física da mesma instituição (2020). Graduando do curso de Bacharelado em Física da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.

Neusa Teresinha Massoni, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS

Licenciada em Física pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS (2000), Mestre em Física pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (2005) e Doutora em Ciências pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (2010), na área de concentração: Ensino de Física. Atualmente é Professora Associada na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS e docente permanente do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ensino de Física do Instituto de Física da UFRGS.

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Published

2022-06-10

How to Cite

Hoernig, A. F., & Massoni, N. T. (2022). Science and religion: looking for a conciliation under William James’ pragmatic philosophy and some considerations for Science Teaching. Educar Mais, 6, 587–608. https://doi.org/10.15536/reducarmais.6.2022.2845

Issue

Vol. 6 (2022): Janeiro - Dezembro

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2022 André Felipe Hoernig, Neusa Teresinha Massoni

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