Science, values, traditional/indigenous knowledge and dialogue of saberes

Abstract

This article discusses the possibility of a constructive dialogue between modern science and traditional/indigenous saberes, including the saberes of the Traditional peoples of Latin America. The argument developed here depends on interpreting science in terms of multi-strategic research [P-MS]: it makes use of the distinction between decontextualizing strategies (SDs) and contest-sensitive strategies (SCs) and the theses: the methodological strategies adopted in research projects can vary with the characteristics of the objects being investigated; there are relations of mutual reinforcement between the adoption of a strategy and adherence to particular ethical and social values; there are limits on the types of objects that can be investigated under a particular strategy; the various strategies play complementary roles. The principal thesis of this paper is that constructive dialogue between P-MS and traditional/indigenous saberes is possible provided that (a) the knowledge obtained in traditional saberes can be interpreted as having been generated under varieties of SCs, whose adoption has relations of mutual reinforcement with adherence to the values embodied in the ways of life and practices of the groups who promote the saberes; and/or (b) P-MS can be interpreted as consisting of a set of saberes – each one identified by a strategy – that belongs to a more encompassing set of saberes (each one socially, culturally and historically situated) which also contains the traditional ones, where all members of the set generate knowledge with epistemic credentials potentially comparable to those of scientific investigations conducted under SDs.