(2016) Knowledge, belief, and science education: A contribution from the epistemology of testimony (original) (raw)

This paper intends to show that the decision of defending understanding as one of the major goals of science education can be grounded on an anti-reductionist perspective on testimony as a source of knowledge. To do so, we revisit the discussion between Harvey Siegel and Alvin Goldman about the goals of science education, showing some limitations in the arguments involved in it that are grounded on an epistemology of testimony. Subsequently, we come back to a discussion between one of the authors (with Eduardo Mortimer) and Michael Hoffmann, striving to strengthen the claim that rather than students’ belief change, understanding should have epistemically priority as a goal of science education. Based on these two lines of discussion, we conclude that the reliance on testimony as a source of knowledge is necessary to the development of a rational scientific understanding by science students.