What can Richard Feynman teach us about the nature of science?

Abstract

On May 11, 2018, it was celebrated the 100th anniversary of the American physicist Richard Phillips Feynman, winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics. Besides his contributions to the scientific field, Feynman is known for his activities on teaching and scientific dissemination. In this paper, supported by the textual discursive analysis and the whole science approach to nature of science, we make a critical analysis of the lecture given by Feynman when he received the Nobel Prize. We explore aspects of the conference fostering a contextualized and humanized views on the physicist and his work. In the analysis, we discuss several issues illustrating elements of the nature of science that are relevant to science education, such as the importance of conceptual errors, motivation, controversial positions, and how a prestigious scientist builds a particular version of his scientific work. From studies of this type, it is possible to promote more critical and well-informed views about science for teachers, students, scientists, and the lay public.

Keywords

• richard feynman
• prêmio nobel
• ensino de física
• análise textual discursiva
• história da ciência