Um estudo sobre o mito cosmog��nico: um paralelo com a cria����o da consci��ncia e um enfoque de psicologia anal��tica

Este estudo pretende fazer um demonstrativo de cinco mitos cosmog��nicos, escolhidos inicialmente a partir de tr��s crit��rios: pertencerem a civiliza����es, em certa medida, com caracter��sticas diversas; por serem civiliza����es hist��rica e culturalmente importantes; e por fim, por interesse de proximidade cultural, utilizou-se um mito cosmog��nico brasileiro. O objetivo deste trabalho �� mostrar que nesses mitos vamos encontrar mitemas que s��o estruturas b��sicas que desvelam quest��es importantes do acontecer ps��quico. Resgatando a mitologia para uma situa����o de atualiza����o, percebe-se que os dramas humanos do cotidiano s��o abordados nos mitos estudados. A mitologia, simbolicamente, tirada das mesmas quest��es, do homem de todas as culturas. Utilizando uma abordagem junguiana, podemos compreender que essa repeti����o dos mitemas, acontece, pois pertencem ao estrato do inconsciente coletivo. A compreens��o do que foi visto, permite uma amplia����o da possibilidade de trabalhar com psicologia cl��nica, permitindo que as pessoas tomem consci��ncia da constru����o mitica de suas vidas, pois �� justamente a inconsci��ncia de viv��-la, que no mais das vezes, atrela o ser humano a esses determinismos impedindo-o de criar qualquer coisa em sua vida. Entende-se como sa��de a possibilidade de livre-arbitrio. Sendo que para isso �� importante o conhecimento dessas quest��es b��sicas comuns a humanidade. O conhecimento dessas estruturas e a possibilidade de liberta����o.

Motivations for knowledge sharing in virtual social networks: a comparative study between Brazil and France

Sociedades p��s-modernas caracterizam-se pela transi����o de economias baseadas em ativos tang��veis para economias de conhecimento, onde indiv��duos vivenciam uma imprescind��vel conectividade, mas ao mesmo tempo, experimentam um enfraquecimento das estruturas sociais, que tem generado uma crescente necessidade de se criar bases cognitivas e afetivas para a vida (Rheingold, 1992; Wasko & Farah, 2005; Arvidsson, 2008). Nesse cen��rio se desenvolve o fen��meno das redes sociais virtuais, agregando milh��es de pessoas que compartilham mensagens de texto, imagens e v��deos todos os dias (Nielsen, 2012) fazendo com que organiza����es privadas foquem cada vez mais seus investimentos para acompanhar as novas tend��ncias (McWilliam, 2000; Reichheld & Schefter, 2000; Yoo, Suh & Lee, 2002; Arvidsson, 2008). Consequentemente, uma das mais importantes quest��es que vem ganhando import��ncia no meio academico e entre profissionais da ��rea �� justamente: por que as pessoas compartilham conhecimento online? (Monge, Fulk, Kalman, Flanigan, Parnassa & Rumsey, 1998; Lin, 2001) Por meio de uma metodologia de estudo de caso conduzida no Brasil e na Fran��a, este estudo objetiva produzir uma relevante revis��o te��rica acerca do tema, trazendo novas id��ias de diferentes contextos, e propondo um modelo para avaliar as principais motiva����es que conduzem indiv��duos a compartilhar conhecimento em redes sociais virtuais. Essas raz��es foram estruturadas em cinco dimens��es: capital estrutural, cognitivo e relacional, motiva����es pessoais e raz��es monet��rias (Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998; Wasko & Faraj, 2005; Chiu et al, 2006). As evid��ncias sugerem que o processo de participar e compartilhar conhecimento em redes sociais virtuais �� resultado de uma complexa combina����o de motiva����es de orienta����o pessoal e coletiva, que parecem variar pouco de acordo com os diferentes objetivos e contextos dessas comunidades, onde as raz��es financeiras parecem ser secund��rias.

O balan��o social como estrat��gia de fortalecimento das pr��ticas de responsabilidade socioambiental

A sociedade de hoje, n��o se contenta mais em cobrar das Organiza����es apenas o tri��ngulo consagrado que trata especificamente da qualidade, custo e prazo. Consciente de seu papel no mundo globalizado, ela exige o envolvimento e o comprometimento dessas Organiza����es com as quest��es sociais e ambientais. Neste contexto, faz-se necess��rio investir na preserva����o da natureza, na sua rela����o com a sociedade e no estreito relacionamento com os envolvidos direta e indiretamente nesta dif��cil empreitada. Em respostas a essas demandas, a ci��ncia cont��bil, frente ��s exig��ncias deste mercado globalizado e em lugar do modelo gest��o corporativa utilizado at�� recentemente, que tratava apenas dos resultados econ��micos, criou o Balan��o Social. Como instrumento estrat��gico de desenvolvimento corporativo, o Balan��o Social permite que a sociedade visualize os resultados de seu comprometimento com o futuro da humanidade. Quem n��o procura se adaptar ��s novas exig��ncias da sociedade global, tende ao fracasso. Esta pesquisa tem como agente principal apresentar se as empresas no Brasil aplicam o conceito de Responsabilidade Social em suas atividades, propondo a cidadania de forma s��ria e respons��vel. Foram observados os dados divulgados pela Petrobras, - Petr��leo Brasileiro SA, Vale e Gerdau S.A,, descrevendo informa����es entre seus demonstrativos e relat��rios com a aplica����o a partir dos propostos pelo Instituto ETHOS. Foi investigado o quanto estas empresas atendem aos quesitos propostos e, com base nos resultados obtidos, indicar, o n��vel de seriedade que estas companhias praticam a quest��o. A prefer��ncia pelas empresas supracitadas como objeto de pesquisa se d�� pela posi����o de destaque no cen��rio econ��mico nacional e mundial; por sua atua����o em setores considerados de alto n��vel de degrada����o e consumo de recursos naturais; e pelo alto impacto social gerado pela organiza����o no local onde est�� introduzida. Os resultados mostram que as empresas come��am a visualizar as quest��es socioambientais, verifica-se esta informa����o devido aos montantes absolutos investidos, todavia esta preocupa����o n��o atingiu a id��ia principal deste conceito de responsabilidade social, ao atender interesses estrat��gicos superficiais de promo����o e auto-imagem.

Ci��ncia e tecnologia na obra liter��ria de Edgar Allan Poe e Machado de Assis

O trabalho tem por objetivo verificar de que forma os avan��os cient��ficos e tecnol��gicos da humanidade influenciaram a obra de Edgar Allan Poe e de Machado de Assis. A an��lise prop��e revelar o olhar desses escritores acerca das novas possibilidades que eram oferecidas �� sociedade com o intuito maior de evidenciar o papel da literatura nesse processo, uma vez que o homem �� capaz de enxergar todo o comportamento de uma ��poca e, conseq��entemente, a si mesmo, atrav��s da obra liter��ria. Essa atitude de ���olhar para tr��s��� e para ���dentro de si mesmo���, acredita-se, permite que o homem avance ainda mais. Para realizar a an��lise proposta, a pesquisa utiliza-se de conceitos como o de intertextualidade e interdisciplinaridade, muito caros �� Literatura Comparada, com o fim de promover rela����es entre as diferentes ��reas do saber ��� Literatura e Ci��ncia ���, entre os diferentes escritores e, por fim, entre os diversos g��neros liter��rios que constituem o corpus do presente estudo. Ap��s um breve panorama da hist��ria do desenvolvimento dos avan��os cient��ficos e tecnol��gicos da humanidade, procede-se ��s an��lises dos textos selecionados, procurando apontar e relacionar o pensamento dos escritores, provando que id��ias sobre os avan��os cient��ficos e tecnol��gicos est��o presentes na produ����o liter��ria de cada um. Por fim, ap��s o confronto estabelecido durante todo o trabalho entre o pensamento e o posicionamento dos escritores, discutese o papel da literatura no desenvolvimento e avan��o da humanidade.

Natureza morta...edif��cio com vida: uma arquitetura sustent��vel para o Servi��o de Verifica����o de ��bitos

Sustainability in buildings, while reducing the impact on the environment, contributes to the promotion of social welfare, to increase the health and productivity of occupants. The search for a way of build that meets the aspirations and development of humanity without, however, represent degradation of the environment, has become the great challenge of contemporary architecture. It is considered that the incorporation of principles that provide a sustainable building with careful choices of design solutions contribute to a better economic and thermal performance of the building, as well as functional and psychological comfort to its users. Based on this general understanding, this paper presents an architecture project aimed to health care whose the solutions adopted follow carefully the relevant legislation and sets his sights on the theme of sustainability. The methodology began with studies on the themes of verification service of deaths, sustainability and those application in construction developed through research in academic studies and analysis of architectural projects, using them like reference for the solutions adopted. Within the project analysis was performed a visit to the verification service of deaths in the city of Palmas in Tocantins, subsidizing information that, plus the relevant legislation, led to functional programming and pre-dimensional of the building to be designed. The result of this programming environments were individual records with information from environmental restrictions, space required for the development of activities, desirable flow and sustainability strategies, that can be considered as the first product of relevance of the professional master's degree. Finally we have outlined the basic design architecture of a Verification Service of Death SVO/RN (in portuguese), whose process of projecting defined as a guiding line of work four points: the use of bioclimatic architecture as the main feature projectual, the use of resources would provide minimal harm to the environment, the use of modulation and structure to the building as a form of rationalization and finally the search for solutions that ensure environmental and psychological comfort to users. Importantly to highlight that, besides owning a rare theme in literature that refers to architectural projects, the whole project was drawn up with foundations in projective criteria that contribute to environmental sustainability, with emphasis on thermal performance, energy efficiency and reuse of rainwater

Diversidade de macroalgas marinhas bent��nicas dos recifes de Maracaja��, ��rea de preserva����o ambiental dos recifes de corais, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

Despite the importance of coral reefs to humanity, these environments have been threatened throughout the world. Several factors contribute to the degradation of these ecosystems. The Maracaja�� Reef Complex, in Rio Grande do Norte state is part of the Coral Reefs Environment Preservation Area in northeastern Brazil. This area has been receiving an increasing influx of tourism and the integrity of the local reefs is a matter of concern. In this study, the reef macroalgae communities were studied and compared within two areas distinguished by the presence or absence of tourism activities. Two sample sites were chosen: the first one, where diving activities are intense; and the other, where these practices do not occur. Samples were collected at both sites within a quadrate of 625 cm2 of area randomly thrown 5 times along a 10 meters transect line. Richness, Shannon-Hill diversity and Simpson dominance indices were determined based on biomass data. Similarity between sites was analyzed with Bray-Curtis similarity and distance index. Fifty-eight macroalgae species were observed, including 7 Chlorophyta, 13 Phaeophyta and 38 Rhodophyta. In the non-disturbed site, 49 species were found, while at the disturbed site, there were 42 species. Dictyotaceae and Corallinaceae were the most representative families at the non-disturbed site, and Rhodomelaceae and Dictyotaceae at the disturbed site. The non-disturbed site presented a higher biomass and the greatest richness and diversity indices. In the disturbed site the dominance index was greater and Caulerpa racemosa was the dominant species. The dendogram based on similarity index showed two major clusters, and an isolated element at the center that corresponds to a sample from the disturbed site. In the first cluster, samples from the non-impacted site were predominant and fleshy brown algae were more conspicuous. The second cluster was composed primarily of samples from the impacted site, where C. racemosa and red filamentous and erect calcareous algae associations (turf forming) were observed covering large extensions. These associations are represented by groups of algae adapted to environments where disturbances are frequent. They can grow rapidly on substrate where benthic community was removed and do not allow the establishment of other species. The results of the present study show that tourism activity is an impacting factor that has been causing shifts in macroalgae communities in the Maracaja�� Reef Complex

Aproveitamento da fibra do epicarpo do coco baba��u em comp��sito com matriz ep��xi: estudo do efeito do tratamento da fibra

Nowadays the environmental issues are increasingly highlighted since the future of humanity is dependent on the actions taken by man. Major efforts are being expended in pursuit of knowledge and alternatives to promote sustainable development without compromising the environment. In recent years there has been a marked growth in the development of reinforced composite fiber plants, as an alternative for economic and ecological effects, especially in the substitution of synthetic materials such as reinforcement material in composites. In this current study the chemical- physical or (thermophysics )characteristics of the babassu coconut fiber, derived from the epicarp of the fruit (Orbignyda Phalerata), which the main constituents of the fiber: Klason lignin, insoluble, cellulose, holocellulose, hemicellulose and the content of ash and moisture will be determined. A study was conducted about the superficial modification of the fibers of the epicarp babassu coconut under the influence of chemical treatment by alkalinization, in an aqueous solution of NaOH to 2.5% (m/v) and to 5.0% to improve the compatibility matrix / reinforcement composite with epoxy matrix. The results of the changes occurred in staple fibers through the use of the techniques of thermogravimetric analyses (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results found on thermal analysis on samples of fiber without chemical treatment (alkalinities), and on fiber samples treated by alkalinization show that the proposed chemical treatment increases the thermal stability of the fibers and provides a growth of the surface of area fibers, parameters that enhance adhesion fiber / composite. The findings were evaluated and compared with published results from other vegetable fibers, showing that the use of babassu coconut fibers has technical and economic potential for its use as reinforcement in composites

Bio��tica e biodireito: interfaces e conflu��ncias

This thesis addresses the development of technoscience in times of transnational globalization and highlights the vulnerability of the discourse of social progress, which may be replaced by evidence of social risk before the artificiality of nature and humanity. That demands an ethical and legal responses to events that impose the necessity of an ethical control in biotechnology research involving human beings contributing to the rise of Bioethics and Biolaw as fields of knowledge. This theme is studied from a multidisciplinary perspective seeking a dynamic dimension in the interpretation of research data reconnecting Social Sciences to Legal Sciences (Biolaw) and to Philosophy (Bioethics), in order to obtain answers to the problems posed. The objective delimited is to examine the interfaces between Biolaw and Bioethics, in order to observe the confluence of these areas of knowledge. Biolaw is considered as a new legal branch derived from the paradigmatic transition of Law and wonders how it will stand before questions resulting of social transformations caused by biotechnological development that endangers humans and society. It is concluded that the relationship between Bioethics and Biolaw is recursive and inseparable and it contributed to the "unthink" of traditional legal model of linear view/reductionist allowing that the "certainties" will be replaced by "possibilities", which comes to enable Biolaw to confront the issues caused by the development of biotechnology that violates physically and morally the human person. It is perceived, therefore, that Biolaw is driven and aided by bioethical reflections and it positions itself before the dilemmas caused by biotechnology in creating, interpreting and applying coercive rules which aims to protect the human being, his offspring and society

Di��logos da Alma: uma outra hist��ria da loucura

The tesis intends to awake a new way of looking at madness. It presents as reference the Psychiatric Hospital Doctor Jo��o Machado (Natal/RN) and histories of life and narratives of four intern residents. The research in an ethical horizon, intends to give back to the subjects the voices long silented behind the institutions walls by their families and society in general. As well as to open the interpretations of science to receive and to dialogue with other itineraries of thought that, if on one hand does not restitute the explanation of the Real, on the other hand expresses other forms to see the world. Dislocated of the bigger social environment, the people identified as insane, construct their histories endowed with autonomy and displacements in relation to the social rules and structures that characterize our society, as much as in relation to the logical principles of thought that assume an objective and rational reality. As well as a remnants bedspread configured in a complex and unfinished object, the break up of histories of life of the interns, interviews with medical on psychiatrists to the Doctor Jo��o Machado Hospital, documents of the institution and depositions of that house, were the raw material to construct, with this tesis, another chapter of the 'history of madness'. In elapsing of the work innumerable voices have been heard. Some that study the phenomenon of madness, others that live this 'state of the being' in the world. We opt to detaching the first of an open conception on the theme through intellectuals as: Jo��o da Costa Machado, Ulysses Pernambucano, Nise da Silveira and Boris Cyrulnik. They express ethics compromised to the humanity of the being

Corporeidade e humanesc��ncia na fonte dos saberes da vida: a forma����o de professores que valoriza o ser

The present study comes from inquietudes of an investigative posture assumed by a Physical Education Graduation Professor, before her educative action with undergraduate teachers. The research was done with 16 (sixteen) Kindergarten and Elementary School teachers, who teach at public schools. The referred teachers are undergraduate students of the Graduating Normal Course at Superior Educational Institute President Kennedy, in Natal/RN. The analysis and discussion of the intertwining of knowledge, within the four Pillars of Education, at the Fountain of Knowledge , is a metaphor, especially created for this study, as for its epistemological and methodological structure, guiding all the investigative process. It provided to show up the repercussion of bathing and drinking these humanizing waters of a pedagogical practice that values the Being, aiming his self-transcendence. The conclusions obtained were the following: 1) The professor, while bathing himself in the Fountain of Life Knowledge, reflects his personal and professional life, recalling feelings and emotions that through time were forgotten, but as they were remembered and lived again, impulse people towards humanity. 2) While bathing himself at the Fountain of Life Knowledge, the professor realizes he is awoken to humane knowledge, caring about his practices, which he develops in the classroom. Practices he considers the learning of knowing, of doing, of living together, and of learning how to be, having and integrated form on the Being. 3) When the worries about the developing of the Being exist coming from the undergraduate teacher there is a practice the shows up the web of corporeity knowledge knowing how to play, how to create, how to feel, how to think, and how to humanize. 4) The presence of the professional of Physical Education, with knowledge and experience of the budgets of corporeity, is essential in the process of graduating the Kindergarten and first years of Elementary School undergraduate teacher, for he, the former, has a huge responsibility as to the learning and developing of the educational process the humanizing developing of the Being In a proposal of education that occurs through the whole life. 5) The Professional of Physical Education has positions to conquer, for the existent gap in the educational process, as for the understanding of the body and of corporeity in the perspective of totality, urges to be modified in name of another mankind, with full humanity

A Forma����o de Padres no Nordeste do Brasil (1894-1933)

The Nossa Senhora da Concei����o Seminary, installed in 1894, by Dom Adauto Aur��lio de Miranda Henriques, first Para��ba Bishop, and the Episcopal Seminary of the Sagrado Cora����o de Jesus, implanted in 1913, by Dom Jos�� Thomas Gomes da Silva, first Aracaju s Bishop diocese, were created as a result of lack of an official religious process proposed by the Brazilian Republic Proclamation, in 1889. With the appoint to enlarge the number of priests and change the image of the priest married and unrolled who used to identify the Catholic Church in the colonial and imperial Brazil. Such bishops developed into intellectuals in the government, dioceses and formation priest houses. I take as a study object, for this doctorate paper, the academic formation and priesthood developed in theses seminaries, from 1894 to 1933, once 1894 the year of Jo��o Pessoa Creation Seminar that was implied the Minor Course (preparation) and the Major one (built by Philosophy and God related studies) and the research limit year of 1933, is concerned about the Major Sergipe Seminary ending, which was created and has worked offering the Minor and Major courses, from 1913 to 1933. Showing the teaching models that guided and leaded the priest formation, referred as Seminaries, and the application result is the objective of this investigation. To comprehend the teaching models seminaries studied, my research line is the Catholic Church theme and priest formation in Brazil. In front of the object and the objective desired, I chose the historical comparative method and the scholars modals notions of Araujo de Barros (2004) and the Sirinelli intellectuals (1996). Such references allowed me to analyze the formation given in the seminary and seminarian participation and actions, included the sequence after the scholars formation. The thesis defended is that the teaching model developed in the Brazilian Seminaries, created after a non official religious process in the Brazilian government, deal with a model of one unique center (Seminary formation and aim pre arranged by Santa S��), although adapted, presuming the local reality and formation structure (privileged not only spiritual and moral speaking, but intellectual also), was it responsible for intellectuals generations (teachers priests, educationalist priest, journalists priests and so on) that boost the education in Brazil. During the Republic first three decades, when, in thesis, the Government was becoming free religion, i.e., the government did not subsidize the Church anymore, and the Government, among others aspects, did not received any Church care to help the public teaching in the country. The investigation reveled accede, by bishops and their followers, such as by the Conc��lio de Trento pre concept, or by the others ideas, leading by the priests formation in Seminaries. By creating and stalling diocese Seminary, Bishop Dom Adauto and Dom Jos�� went further their functions, by the time they built inside themselves a teaching model thought from the main pedagogic logic, based on several religious exercises, moral and ethic, considered by themselves several knowledge connected to humanity, philosophy and God related studies). Following clearly rationalism principle (the way of teaching, which each subject has its own teacher and this class get together students with the same knowledge, regardless of age) and efficiency (trying to teach the whole content in each class), the Seminaries researched developed a whole education, allowed the structure of a spiritual education, moral and intellectual, for a quality developed by priests, including different levels that they used to performance. Their bottom line, actions and priest matter achievement allowed their broad fulfillment, in the way that priests matter were associated with cultural, educational, welfare assistance, at last, intellectuals

Mestres e aprendiz: perambulando por ilhas de resist��ncia

Monoculture of mind This idea, presented by Vandana Shiva, reflects the phase that we have experienced in the world: a notion of civilization that, since many decades, characterized by a technocratic big trend, has been shown as dominant and hegemonic. Based on a thinking and acting, felling and whishing standardization, this wave ends implying in what can be called of humanity‟s crisis at civilizational process. Destruction of simpler and more harmonious lifestyles with nature, human relations increasingly distant, values embrittlement, as respect, goodness and love, are some consequences of that behavioral homogenization. In the other hand, appears an archipelago of cultural and cognitive resistance against this devastating wave. Edgar Morin and Cei��a Almeida refer to this archipelago as a South Thought , what is not just a geographic question. Report, therefore, to some places, peoples, island that keep ancient costumes and knowledge, orally transmitted, for instance, from elders to younger, or vice versa, in an almost constant flow. Particular ways of experiencing the world around themselves, the men, animals, plants, rocks, or even not alive beings, masters or enchanted, spiritual guides. Next to a logic of sensitive, as Claude Levi-Strauss proposes, this reading, which is a more attentive, observer and wiser posture of surroundings, is based on touching, smelling, eating, seeing, and, I would add, felling. In light of this, I try to expatiate about certain experiences that I had the pleasure of living in some of these islands of resistance. Talks, perceptions, observations, sensations Stories, prose, poetries, music, photos, graphics Whatever could serve to portray even a bit of the reflections and forms to understand (ourselves) and produce knowledge, such as from a formation/Education to life, was well used at this ethnographic work. Space to the subjectivity and emotions I had, have, and will have a lot Everything for the dear reader may fell traveling around the world of tradition, resistance

Inclus��o e defici��ncia: em busca das representa����es sociais na m��dia impressa em Natal/RN

This thesis is the result of an extensive research on print media discourse on the inclusion of disabled people in society. Articles published in the newspapers Di��rio de Natal/O Poti and Tribuna do Norte from 1992 to 2002 have been analyzed. Beginning with the very same questions that moved Moscovici (1978) in his classic study La Psychalyse son image et son public , according to which the media play a predominant role in the formation and propagation of social representations as well as in the construction of human behaviors, we have chosen this mass media as our investigation field. Understanding the importance of the communication theory, we intend to associate it to the social representation theory, since communication, as an aspiration, relates to the fundamentals of all humanity (WOLTON, 2004, p. 56). Moreover, means of communication represent an important space for symbolic production and representational process, allowing the analysis of the circulating discourses on social inclusion and disability. Based on these questions, we have determined social representations present in print media on the subject to be our study object. This objective was elected due to the fact that the thematic of disability and inclusion is scarcely and sporadically found in journalistic speech. The research questions have been: which is the representation of disabled people s condition in print media? What changes have occurred during the analyzed period and which was the role played by print media in this process? The research corpus was composed of newspaper articles about various aspects concerning disability and of free word association by reporters. We have analysed: 1) graphical language promoted by the picture of the substances propagated in the period from 1992 a 2002; 2) free word association experiments carried out with reporters of both newspapers; and 3) texts published from 1996 to 1997 using the high-tech program ALCESTE (Contextual Lexical Analysis of a Set of Segments of Texts). The results revealed that the print media in Natal/RN refer to the topic in a discontinuous way, and depend on specific events to highlight disabled people s fight for their rights. Social inclusion is still a great challenge for these people in all levels. We believe that this incapacity to overcome all kinds of obstacles is established in a dialectic relation between society and the media: society remains silent (the manifestation of interest for the cause only attracts some people s or groups attention) and the media, which selects which information is to be broadcasted, gives no evidence to the issue. This representation may be noticed in the infrequency in which articles about the subject are published, as well as in the emphasis to sports, a more important issue for the media. An implication of this study is that a new perspective is opened for analysis and reflection: the Paralympics games as both an inclusive and a segregating social phenomenon. It would be beautiful to have all of us together!

O processo de cuidar do enfermeiro em unidade de terapia intensiva: uma an��lise dos conhecimentos utilizados

Care has always been present in the history of humanity and in contemporary nursing it is considered to be a fundamental characteristic. In the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), care occurs within an environment that is known for its stressful factors, technological equipment, social isolation and discomfort. Whilst the reality of nursing practice in ICU demonstrates the lack of planned and systematized care, there is an indication that the professionals working in this setting utilize some type of knowledge. Based on that premise, in this study we aim to identify the knowledge that the nurses use in providing care in the ICU. We believe that the identification and characterization of this knowledge, and how it presents itself in practice, requires a reflective analysis process. Therefore, we utilized a qualitative perspective and Kim��s (1999) investigative methodology of reflective inquiry that is based on the precepts of Action Science proposed by Argyris et al. (1985). The study was conducted with 8 intensive care nurses of a public hospital. Data were collected by means of non-participative observation of the nursing care actions and a semi-structured interview conducted within the reflective mode that focused on the nurses practice in the ICU. The results enabled us no only to detect that the nurses utilized knowledge and patterns of knowledge acquired or constructed, but to identify them as: scientific, philosophic, religious, empirical, personal, ethical, and esthetic knowledge. The predominance of the scientific knowledge in the care process suggests that these nurses hold an acquired scientific substance that they utilize to provide specialized care directed toward critical treatment. The conception of this reality surpasses the theoretical limits, the techniques, and the known facts, and denotes the need for a reflective process in action to aide in the comprehension of the knowledge involved in the construction of excellent care