Integrar a história da ciência na sala de aula através de um caso: o papel de Lyell no desenvolvimento dos trabalhos de Darwin
Authors: Ribeiro Tiago 
Published: December 2019

Resumo No século XIX, o desenvolvimento científico ficou marcado por uma grande restruturação concetual: a perceção da existência de um longo período de tempo, anterior e independente à presença do Homem na Terra. Os trabalhos de Lyell foram particularmente responsáveis pela evolução desta corrente ideológica. Este uniformitarista, através da observação de pequenas mudanças terrestres subtis à escala humana (mas expressivas quando analisadas à luz de milhões de anos), contribuiu para compreensão dos fenómenos geológicos. Contudo, esta ideologia não se refletiu apenas na geologia. Quando Darwin, em 1831, partiu no Beagle, tinha consigo o livro “Principles of Geology” de Lyell. Sensibilizado pelas suas ideias, e consciente das transformações graduais do planeta, Darwin desenvolveu várias noções que viriam a ser incluídas no evolucionismo. As ideias de Lyell, articuladas com uma escala geológica ao invés de histórica, foram preponderantes para a existência de um “outro” tempo coerente com a transmutação das espécies. O uniformitarismo foi, então, basilar para a criação de um contexto favorável à recetividade da teoria de Darwin, evidenciando a importância de um pensamento interdisciplinar e holístico na ciência. Pretende-se, neste trabalho, reforçar a relevância deste tipo de pensamento no ensino das ciências naturais. Para tal, elaborou-se um recurso educativo, segundo a metodologia de ensino baseado em casos, com a finalidade de facilitar a inclusão da história da ciência no ensino. Palavras-chave: Uniformitarismo, Evolucionismo, História da Ciência. Abstract In the nineteenth century, scientific development was marked by a great conceptual restructuring: the perception of the existence of a long time, prior and independent to the presence of Man on Earth. Lyell's works were particularly responsible for the evolution of this ideological current. Lyell, through the observation of subtle Earth changes on the human scale (but expressive when analysed in the enlightenment of millions of years), contributed to understanding geological phenomena. However, this ideology was not only reflected in geology. When Darwin, in 1831, embarked on the Beagle, he had the Lyell's book "Principles of Geology". Induced by his ideas, and conscious of the gradual transformations of the planet, Darwin developed several notions that were included in the evolutionism. Lyell's ideas, articulated with a geological rather than a historical scale, were preeminent for the existence of an "other" time consistent with the transmutation of species. The uniformitarianism was, then, essential for the creation of a context favourable to the receptivity of Darwin’s theory, evidencing the importance of an interdisciplinary and holistic thinking in the science. In this work, it is intent to reinforce the relevance of this type of thinking in the natural sciences’ teaching. Thus, an educational resource was elaborated, according to the case-based teaching methodology, with the purpose of facilitating the inclusion of the history of science in teaching process. Keywords: Uniformitarianism, Evolutionism, History of Science.