Aristotle's On the Soul

Aristotle's On the Soul aims to uncover the principle of life, what Aristotle calls psuchē (soul). For Aristotle, soul is the form which gives life to a body and causes all its living activities, from breathing to thinking. Aristotle develops a general account of all types of living through examining soul's causal powers. The thirteen new essays in this Critical Guide demonstrate the profound influence of Aristotle's inquiry on biology, psychology and philosophy of mind from antiquity to the present. They deepen our understanding of his key concepts, including form, reason, capacity, and activity. This volume situates Aristotle in his intellectual context and draws judiciously from his other works as well as the history of interpretation to shed light on his intricate views. It also highlights ongoing interpretive debates and Aristotle's continuing relevance. It will prove invaluable for researchers in ancient philosophy and the history of science and ideas.

Legislators' Plague

This chapter brings important novel insights and perspectives to the urging contemporary debate on public hygienist policies. The authors intend to explore how an episode of history of science can be used to explore the struggles of universal pandemic responses. The focus will be on the inception of science-based legislation, created to deal with public health emergencies, and their communication and social acceptance. They argue if any of the symptoms of science misinformation and a weak science foundation of legislative action identified in the 2020 coronavirus pandemic can be identified in an early 20th-century outbreak of bubonic plague in Portugal. They present a national legislative policy timeline towards the pandemic effort in the form of consolidated legislative responses to fight Porto's emerging pandemic in 1899. They also provide future studies on science-based policy with newfound material, aiding the characterization of the communication and eventual harmonization of concerted responses in preempting the spread of pandemics.

The History of Science as “the History of Rare Fluctuations of Thought and Scientific Work ... like Archimedes and Newton”

The article examines the scientific and biographical approach to the history of science and especially its version, which can be called the method of personification of history. Both methods were proposed by S. I. Vavilov and both are associated with his understanding of the history of science as “a sequence of rare fluctuations of thought and scientific work ... like Archimedes and Newton”. The method of personification of history is illustrated on a number of large-scale fragments of the history of physics of the 19th and 20th centuries. Five cases of such personification are considered. This is, first of all, the case of G. Monge, who personified the science and technology of revolutionary France (analyzed by Vavilov himself). Two casesrefer to two scientific revolutions in physics of the 20th century (to the quantum-relativistic – the case of A. Einstein and to the gauge-field – the case of M. Gell-Mann). And, finally, two cases of personification of the history of Russian physics. In the first, not one, but two essentially opposite key figures of Russian physics on the eve of the scientific revolution are considered: N. A. Umov and P. N. Lebedev. The second case is S. I. Vavilov himself, who in many ways personified the development of Soviet physics in the first half of the 20th century.

Design Function in Innovation Processes

Some words emerge at a given moment to catalyse ideas and give new meaning to old terminology. Innovation and design are two such words. Innovation has traditionally been linked with the Applied Sciences, especially technology, whereas advances in the PureSciences tend to be termed discoveries, inventions, or creations. However, for decades now, innovation has been a leitmotiv in all fields of scientific knowledge in both the Pure and the Applied Sciences. Design has also emerged from the niche it once occupied for decades (andeven centuries) at least insofar as its impact on the History of Science and of Philosophy is concerned. In fact, design’s introduction into the academic world has gone hand-in-hand with Art and its impact on our daily lives. This paper analyses innovation processes in boththe Pure and the Applied Sciences to discover how far new design theories over the last few decades have influenced innovation in fields such as Epistemology and Technology. We focus on Design Epistemology and methodological innovation, specifically in connectionwith design simulations and methodological models. We also look at the underlying design technologies and the key role they play in innovation processes.

Modelo teórico de aproximações para o ensino de Ciências entre as premissas da História da Ciência e do pensamento crítico

No ensino de Ciências, o conhecimento científico para a tomada de decisão pode ser um fator preponderante para fundamentar o desenvolvimento de abordagens metodológicas para a resolução de problemas em sala de aula. Desse modo, a História da Ciência é considerada uma abordagem fundamental para essa contextualização do conhecimento científico em propostas didáticas que visem o desenvolvimento de habilidades cognitivas relacionadas ao pensamento crítico dos estudantes. Neste estudo, considera-se complexa a elaboração de propostas didáticas para o ensino de Ciências sem um modelo que direcione as atividades para tal finalidade. Então, esta pesquisa objetiva estabelecer aproximações teóricas entre a História da Ciência e o pensamento crítico para o ensino de Ciências, propondo um modelo teórico com articulações entre seus objetivos. Ao considerar o conhecimento para a tomada de decisão como um aspecto central dessas aproximações, o estudo apresenta correlações implícitas e explícitas para o planejamento de propostas didáticas. Essas articulações teóricas possuem implicações consideradas fundamentais para a educação científica, em virtude de apresentar um modelo teórico para ensinar Ciências pelas dimensões teóricas de análise, problematização e distinção de informações científicas, ao materializá-las em atividades de aprendizagem que viabilizem a tomada de decisão e a resolução de problemas científicos.Theoretical model of approaches for the teaching of Science between the premisses of the History of Science and critical thinkingAbstractIn Science education, scientific knowledge for decision-making can be a major factor to support the development of methodological approaches to problem solving in the classroom. In this way, the History of Science is considered a fundamental approach for this contextualization of scientific knowledge, in didactic proposals that aim at the development of cognitive skills related to students’ critical thinking. In this study, the elaboration of didactic proposals for the teaching of Science is considered complex, without a model that directs activities for this purpose. So, this research aims to establish theoretical approaches between the History of Science and critical thinking, for the teaching of Science, proposing a theoretical model with articulations between its objectives. When considering knowledge for decision making as a central aspect of these approaches, the study presents implicit and explicit correlations for the planning of didactic proposals. These theoretical articulations have implications considered fundamental for scientific education, as they present a theoretical model for teaching Science through the theoretical dimensions of analysis, problematization and distinction of contextualized scientific information, when materializing them in learning activities that enable decision-making and solving scientific problems.Keywords: History of science; Critical thinking; Theoretical approaches; Science teaching.

Mulheres, flores e suas prisões: reflexões sobre botânica, gênero e ciência com alunas privadas de liberdade

Este artigo apresenta uma pesquisa realizada em aulas de ciências desenvolvidas com base na vertente da História Cultural da Ciência com foco nas práticas botânicas durante os séculos XVIII e XIX. A investigação ocorreu junto ao grupo de pesquisa NIEHCC e com alunas privadas de liberdade, quando do estudo de temas do conteúdo de Biologia na Educação de Jovens e Adultos (ecologia, nomenclatura científica, botânica). O recorte histórico suscitou discussões sobre as relações entre gênero e ciência, a partir da discussão da participação feminina na Botânica no recorte histórico selecionado. A pesquisa histórica indicou que as práticas científicas em que as mulheres se envolveram, em geral, eram restritas ao espaço privado e derivaram de um interesse do contato das mulheres com a ciência. O método etnográfico foi escolhido para análise das intervenções em sala de aula. As alunas trouxeram para as aulas temáticas como homossexualidade, machismo, maternidade na adolescência, papel da mulher, diferenças entre os gêneros, opressões, violência masculina no seio familiar e barreiras no acesso da mulher à escola e ao trabalho, apontando que a abordagem da História Cultural da Ciência possibilitou conectar discussões sobre práticas científicas com o contexto das alunas.Women, flower and their prisons: reflections about botany, gender, science and the social condition of women with female students inmatesAbstractThe paper reports the results of a study carried out in science classes from the Cultural History of Science approach, focusing on Botanical practices during the 18th and 19th centuries. The investigation was carried out with the NIEHCC research group and with students deprived of liberty when studying topics of Biology in Youth and Adult Education's mandatory curriculum (ecology, the scientific terminology, botany). The historical episode aimed to raise discussions about the relations between gender and science with the students, as many women participated in Botany in the selected historical section. The historical research indicated that the scientific practices in which women were involved, in general, were restricted to the private space and derived from an interest in women's contact with science. The ethnographic method was chosen to give voice to the speech of the participating students. Themes as homosexuality, sexism, adolescent motherhood, women's role, gender differences, oppression, male violence within the family, and barriers to women's access to school and work emerged in class, which indicates that the historical discussions were related to the students' context. Keywords: Science Education; Gender and Science; Cultural History of Science; Prison Education.