España: evolutionism & religion, Century XIX

From the Englightenment to the middle of the 19th century, geological time and the antiquity of human beings received ever growing attention. This was caused by a series of events, such as: *the beginnings of experimentation in Geology (Buffon, 1778) *the development of the transformism (Lamarck, 1809) *the recognition and description of extinct animals (Cuvier, 1812) *as well as the studies made in alluvial deposits, caves and gravel beds, with brought to light artefacts, human rest and bone of extinguished animals (from John Frere, 1797, to Albert Gaudry, 1859). The development towards evolutionism (Darwin, 1859) came gradually. In Spain, all these currents found their echo: Spain, e.g. was the third country where the Palaeolithic remains were discovered (Verneuil and Lartet, 1863). Also the Darwin ideas were introduced forcefully, right from the beginning. But the change in worldview, which was prerequisite to these ideas, lead to polemic controversies in the political and religious realm. The most significant evidence was the official prohibition of the teaching Darwinism in public educational centres (1875). At theological level, thanks to the advance of the geologic knowledge, went leaving the literal interpretations of Biblical texts was eventually discontinued and replaced by more liberal interpretation. In some case, the process was difficult because some political, religious and scientific authors and researchers didn’t understand the new scientific ideas.

Naturalising the Highlands: geographies of mountain fieldwork in late-Victorian Scotland

Through a detailed examination of two late-Victorian field clubs dedicated to the exploration of alpine botany in the Scottish Highlands, this paper contributes to work on the historical geographies of civic science. By focusing on the scientific and social character of mountain fieldwork it analyses the reciprocal relations between the spaces, practices and science of Highland botanising and wider concerns with sociability, character and civic virtue. In so doing it investigates the transposition of a variety of discursive resources from evolutionism to tourism into the language and practices of botanical science. This focus enables the paper to complicate more general accounts of natural history in the Victorian period and to consider a number of methodological issues relevant to reconstructing the historical geographies of science.

Histoire de l'interprétation de la transition néolithique : évolution des théories, modèles et hypothèses

Ce mémoire reconstitue l’histoire des théories, modèles et hypothèses qui ont été formulés, principalement en archéologie, afin d’expliquer la naissance de l’agriculture qui correspond, du point de vue chronologique, à la transition (ou révolution) néolithique. Ces schèmes explicatifs sont décrits chronologiquement depuis la naissance de l’archéologie préhistorique, dans la première moitié du XIXe siècle, jusqu’à maintenant. Ils sont classifiés en fonction des principales écoles qui ont joué un rôle prédominant en archéologie préhistorique depuis son origine, soit : l’évolutionnisme multilinéaire, l’école culturelle-historique, le processualisme, le néodarwinisme et le postprocessualisme. Les théories spécifiques (dites de « niveau mitoyen » ou « régionales ») qui ont été avancées par ces écoles sont présentées dans leur ordre chronologique, soit (principalement) : les théories de la dessiccation ou de l’oasis, des flancs de colline, de la périphérie, du stress démographique, du festin compétitif, de la révolution des symboles, etc. Ce mémoire pose enfin les jalons d’une théorie multifactorielle qui intègre ou synthétise les principaux facteurs qui ont pu influer sur la naissance de l’agriculture et sur la transition néolithique.

Consideracoes sobre o methodo de interpretacao funcionalista na geografia.

Functionalism, in its postulates and in its methods, can be seen not only as a reaction to geographical positivism and evolutionism but as a reflection of political tendencies and interests in the 20th century. Brazilian academic geography of the functionalist school showed itself resolute in attacking Darwinist interpretations, but concerned itself very little with theoretical systematization, methodology, discussion or reflection. -J.Naylon

Fluxos do espiritismo kardecista no Brasil: dentro e fora do continuum mediúnico

Pós-graduação em Ciências Sociais - FFC

Negro suspeito, negro bandido: um estudo sobre o discurso policial

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Reflexão sobre a homossexualidade como subproduto da evolução do prazer

A incidência de comportamento homossexual em diversas espécies tem sido encarada como um desafio à proposta evolucionista, por se configurar como um padrão que se mantém apesar de não propiciar a reprodução. Uma série de hipóteses explicativas de vantagens evolutivas da homossexualidade foi desenvolvida por diversos autores, contudo, em todas se podem encontrar aspectos problemáticos que as contradizem – ao menos no que se refere à espécie humana. A hipótese aqui defendida é que a homossexualidade não seria geneticamente determinada, logo não requereria valor de sobrevivência. Este padrão comportamental seria um subproduto da evolução do prazer enquanto efeito essencial do ato sexual para favorecer a reprodução e a criação de vínculos entre parceiros. Apesar de se caracterizar como uma proposta preliminar, esta hipótese aponta novas direções de interpretação e investigação da relação entre homossexualidade e evolucionismo.

A cadeira de rodas de Stephen Hawking: religião, representação do outro e da ciência em escolas públicas de Penápolis na virada do século XX para o XXI (1990-2008)

Pós-graduação em História - FCLAS

O racismo como questão epistemológica: uma interpretação do discurso religioso evolucionista da Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Da “revolução funcionalista” às novas sínteses antropológicas

O trabalho procura analisar as novas linhas antropológicas surgidas a partir das perspectivas teóricas funcionalistas.

O autor mal-dito: raça e nação no pensamento de Raimundo Nina Rodrigues

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A metáfora fundamental do discurso de John Dewey

This work aims to identify the rootmetaphor of John Dewey’s philosophical and educational discourse, by means of rhetorical analyses parameters. This methodology is founded in Aristotle and in the works of Chaïm Perelman and other contemporary authors involved in the revision of Aristotelian philosophy. The article examines the essays “The philosophical work of Herbert Spencer” and “The influence of darwinism on philosophy”, published by John Dewey respectively in 1904 e 1909. They were written in the early years of Dewey in Columbia University, which intellectual environment was not dominated by Pragmatism, and for this reason they can be considered seminal in the structuring of the author’s arguments. The analysis reveals that Dewey is favorable to Darwinian evolutionism thesis and opposite to Spencer’s one. This positioning suggests that Dewey’s discourse is bound to the metaphor “undetermined route” because it situates evolution as a process devoid of previously listed purposes at a pre-determined plan, subject only to the relations that are established, so unpredictable, between organisms and the environmental conditions that surround. Analyzing Dewey’s ideas about education, the article concludes that “undetermined route” is the rootmetaphor of Dewey’s discourse, hypothesis that can contribute to discuss Dewey in the context of contemporary philosophy.

Does Evolution matter?: a case study in Brazil of the effects of an evolutionary-thinking academic atmosphere in postgraduate students' belief in God/religious belief

Although the theory of evolution is more than 150 years old, a substantial proportion of the world population does not mention it when explaining the origin of human beings. The usual alternative conception is offered by creationism, one of the main obstacles to full acceptance of evolution in many countries. National polls have demonstrated that schooling and religiosity are negatively correlated, with scientists being one of the least religious professionals. Herein we analyzed both (1) the profile of 1st semester undergraduate students and (2), thesis and dissertations, concerning religious and evolutionary thoughts from Biology and Veterinary Schools at the largest university of South America. We have shown that students of Biology are biased towards evolution before they enter university and also that the presence of an evolutionary-thinking academic atmosphere influences the deism/religiosity beliefs of postgraduate students.

La presencia de Darwin en William Henry Hudson

W. H. Hudson tuvo un contacto muy temprano con El origen de las especies; probablemente haya leído el libro el mismo año de su aparición (1859). Esta lectura lo acercó a una filosofía naturalista que, a la vez, lo alejó de la formación materna en cuestión religiosa, y lo condujo a asumir una posición evolucionista crítica. De hecho, contradijo observaciones de Darwin que éste revisó, además de mencionarlo en la segunda edición de El origen de las especies (1888). Asimismo, son numerosas las citas que Hudson hace de Darwin en sus textos. Aunque pueden marcarse diferencias, ciertos tópicos generales del evolucionismo, son fácilmente reconocibles a lo largo de su producción. El trabajo pretende avanzar sobre estos aspectos para identificar cuán profundamente caló en su concepción del mundo la perspectiva evolucionista.