Ensino de ciências e os desafios do século XXI: entre a crítica e a confiança na ciência

This essay reflects on the role of science education in the face of the challenges caused by the different socio-scientific issues that surface from the contemporary society. Inasmuch science plays an important role building solution to issues as socio-environmental and public health crises, it is also essential that science education fosters an understanding that makes it possible to evaluate scientific information and distinguish it from pseudoscience. However, to foster this evaluative capacity in the student, science education runs the risk of incurring an excessive valuation of the critical ideal that aims at the student's intellectual independence, often expressed in a skepticism that elects doubt by doubt. In this essay, we problematize some undesirable consequences of this attitude, including the loss of confidence in science. To this end, we propose reflections that: (1) guide science education towards a confidence in science, without losing criticality regarding scientific practice; (2) problematize the justification for a scientific education focused exclusively on the intellectual independence of the student who chooses doubt and skepticism as teaching aims. In this discussion, we emphasize the importance of a “balanced trust” with science, highlighting trust as a complementary element to the exercise of doubt and criticism. Finally, we present some reflections and possible developments of this topic to the context of the classroom and science education.