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ERIC Number: EJ1235821
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Dec
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0157-244X
EISSN: N/A
The 'Nature of Science' and the Perils of Epistemic Relativism
Romero-Maltrana, Diego; Benitez, Federico; Vera, Francisco; Rivera, Rodrigo
Research in Science Education, v49 n6 p1735-1757 Dec 2019
There is an increasing demand in the field of science education for the incorporation of philosophical and sociological aspects that are related to the scientific enterprise in school curricula, to the extent that the incorporation of these aspects is now considered a necessity. Several of these aspects can be categorised within the framework of the "nature of science," or NOS. We warn that a possible misinterpretation of the "common view" of NOS tenets can lead to epistemic relativism. We pay special attention to the empirical and objective nature of science because these important features, properly understood, can help eliminate subjective flaws and protect against relativism. Some of the epistemological concepts that are relevant to this discussion are disambiguated in an attempt to prevent the temptation to take views to an extreme, as has occurred in some cases. We expect this analysis to contribute to the extant literature by improving how science is presented in the classroom without oversimplifying scientific practice.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A