Critical Thinking and Interculturality in Science Education: Theoretical and Educational Reflections

Abstract

This essay analyzes how the articulation between critical thinking and interculturality can contribute to more democratic and epistemologically plural practices in science education. It initially discusses critical thinking as an essential competence for analyzing evidence, evaluating arguments, and making decisions in the face of socio-scientific problems. Next, it presents interculturality as a perspective that questions the hegemony of Eurocentric scientific knowledge and values ​​dialogue between different rationalities present in the Latin American context. It argues that this intercultural perspective constitutes a fundamental path to strengthening the development of critical thinking, by expanding ways of understanding and problematizing natural and social phenomena. It argues that the recognition of indigenous and Afro-Brazilian epistemologies, foreseen in legislation such as Law 11.645/08, constitutes an opportunity to integrate new cultural references into the curriculum. Finally, it reflects on the potential of dialogue between traditional knowledge and school science to develop ethical sensitivity and promote an education committed to social justice. It is concluded that intercultural practices in science education broaden cultural repertoires, promote anti-racist education, encourage democratic participation, and contribute to students becoming reflective subjects capable of acting in the transformation of unequal realities.