A ciência, sua racionalidade e os governos

Abstract

Science, its rationality and governments In Ciência como vocação, Max Weber (1979) argues that one of our weapons against the loss of humanization is scientific production. Science is at the service of self-clarification and knowledge of interrelated facts. It does not intend to show us the way, but clarifies the meaning of our behavior. Aware of our social problems, we can achieve the well-being of many. In Pascalian Meditations, Pierre Bourdieu (1998) states, inspired by Pascal, in the same direction, that our greatest greatness is knowledge. According to them, "determined (wretchedness), man can know his determinations (greatness) and work to overcome them. These paradoxes all find their principle in the privilege of reflexivity" (BOURDIEU, 1998, p. 115). 1 In other words, science and the production of knowledge, be knowledge practical or not, help us build more humanity. This editorial consists of a series of articles that are complementary, interact, and help us confirm the aforementioned statements. Although this was not our intention, the studies published here share the following characteristic: all work with research on education, are the product of research and reflections that bring us news, inform us on the reality of the education field in contemporary social life in Brazil. In a recent statement, São Paulo state governor, 2 Geraldo Alckmin, said that Fundação do Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP-Sao Paulo Research Foundation) should fund fewer sociology studies, which add nothing, to encourage research in the health field, due to the dangerous epidemics of dengue, Zica virus and other diseases in evidence in recent months. Contrary to the statement of the governor of the richest state in Brazil, responsible for the largest scientific production in our country and Latin America, fortunately the funding agencies of many states of Brazil and even the federal government have continued to promote studies and work which diagnose the problems of school and society. The studies made available in this issue of Education and Research affirm the necessary and emancipatory character of research and science in Brazil, regarding aspects of public policy, in the context of experiences in early childhood, primary, secondary, and higher education, and even in the field of the structural challenges of differences in opportunities between students of all levels of education. Thanks to the insistent and well-grounded education of our researchers, as well as increasing incentives for graduate programs, we have acquired knowledge of the challenges, limits, and or gains of decisions of educational and cultural nature, besides more room for discussion and consistency to go toward change. Perhaps it is ironic that we are writing this editorial when the Brazilian society is witnessing a shift in its political life. All signs that we are experiencing a setback, as we witness an 1-Excerpt from BOURDIEU, Pierre. Pascalian Meditations.