Conference topic Scientific Literacy: Contributions from the History and Philosophy of Science
Conference date July 6th - July 10th 2026
Conference venue Lisbon, Portugal
Conference Chair: Cláudia Faria; Conference Co-Chair: Ricardo L. Coelho
Scientific Literacy: Contributions from the History and Philosophy of Science
The introduction of the term scientific literacy is often attributed to Paul deHart Hurd in his 1958 article on Educational Leadership (DeBoer, 2000). However, Rudolph (2024) has challenged this view, crediting its introduction to the American physicist and educator Gaylord Harnwell in 1945. In any case, its meaning has changed throughout history (Valadares, 2021).
Since the 1980s, the concept has been widely accepted, developed, and used in science education (Roberts, 2007), encapsulating the goals of science education worldwide (Bybee, 2015) or, in Norris et al. (2014) words, scientific literacy “points to goals that educators, scientists, and politicians want for citizens and society”. Many definitions of this concept “have basically migrated from a scientific teaching focused on the memorization of scientific concepts and laws, towards a scientific teaching focused on the study of its risks and impacts on society and, more recently, on the role of science as a tool for social change.” (Valadares 2021, p. 558).
Gathering definitions, it can be said that scientific literacy refers to the ability to understand, apply, and evaluate scientific information and concepts in everyday life. It also includes the skills to think critically, communicate effectively about scientific issues, make well-informed decisions and being prepared to act on science, technology, society, and environment issues (Sjöström, 2024).
About three decades ago, the journal Science & Education was created to encourage research into the role of history and philosophy and sociology of science in promoting science and mathematics education (Matthews 1992). Hundreds of articles, books and a Handbook have developed our views on these issues. Building on this research program, the question arises as to what knowledge about the past of science can be useful or even necessary for scientific literacy. If so, how can it be integrated into science and engineering courses or communicated to the public? What is the history of science or technology that can serve as a model for informed decision-making? Which arguments from this history are particularly suited for promoting critical thinking? To explore these and other questions, we invite contributions from historians, philosophers, sociologists, and science educators.
