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| Author(s): |
Breno Arsioli Moura
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Física (IF/SBI) |
| Defense date: | 2008-10-06 |
| Examining board members: |
Cibelle Celestino Silva;
Roberto de Andrade Martins;
Mauricio Pietrocola Pinto de Oliveira
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| Advisor: | Cibelle Celestino Silva |
| Abstract | |
Currently, there is a general agreement that Nature of Science (NOS) aspects must be included in science curriculums. The present dissertation analyzes in details the development, the repercussion and the acceptance of Newtonian optics; with particular emphasis on its popularization in early 18th century in Europe, especially in Great Britain. In this period, significant social and cultural changes occurred, among them the valorization of Natural Philosophy and its products, the establishment of Newtonian mechanics, optics and Isaac Newton\'s image as genuine representative of Natural Philosophy. As consequence, only Newtonian optics aspects that evidenced the inductivism and could be conciliated with his mechanics were incorporated in 18th century natural philosophy books. From this historical study, NOS aspects can be explicitly discussed, for instance, the inexistence of an universal scientific method, the influence of social context and how the prestige of a scientist biases the acceptance of her/his ideas, the temporary character of scientific knowledge, the relevance of how ideas are communicated, among other topics. The present work is important for teacher training courses, since it provides adequate view of Science development. (AU) | |