Dogmas in science? Ideological barriers to paradigms shifting in the post-modern era

Gonzalo Velasco

doi:10.15448/1984-6746.2026.1.48659

Authors

Gonzalo Velasco Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7710-2169

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-6746.2026.1.48659

Keywords:

science, scientific method, theories, dogmas, reason

Abstract

Scientific knowledge evolves by the substitution of older hypothesis and theories when they are proved wrong or incomplete. However sometimes the consequences of accepting alternative theories can shake the worldview and convictions of some scientists. We discuss that, sometimes, scientists cling to their ideas in the same way they accuse religious people to embrace their dogmatic principles and that is contradictory to the philosophy of science and prevents science from advancing. Two emblematic cases in natural sciences are used as examples.

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Author Biography

Gonzalo Velasco, Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Currently, Gonzalo Velasco Canziani is an Associate Professor at the Oceanography Institute of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG, RS, Brazil). He is a Lic. in Biological Sciences from the Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de la República (Montevideo, Uruguay), has MSc. and PhD. degrees in Biological Oceanography form FURG, Post-Doctoral certificate in Ecology from the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil), and a BSc. in Catholic Theology from Centro Universitário Internacional UNINTER (Curitiba, PR, Brazil). He teaches in the areas of fisheries science, ecosystem modeling, history and philosophy of science and scientific method both for undergraduate
and graduate students. CV Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/7903905832150527

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