Abstract

MENEZES, Aline Beckmann  and  CARVALHO NETO, Marcus Bentes de. Reflections about the mutual influence between science and politics: the case of homosexuality. Temas psicol. [online]. 2015, vol.23, n.3, pp. 621-634. ISSN 1413-389X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.9788/TP2015.3-08.

At the XXI Century it is a moment of intense ideological conflicts about civil rights for homosexuals, which have been usually grounded upon supposed scientific data or conceptions. This essay reflects about the mutual influence between science and politic, through the case of the investigation of determinants of sexual orientation. To achieve that, it is presented a discussion regarding the influence of social and political issues involved in sexual orientation scientific research. Then the political use of scientific data is discussed, especially regarding the determinants of sexual orientation. Through the reflections presented, this essay propose that the struggle to obtain civil rights should not be relayed upon the identification of sexual orientation determinants but, instead, the comprehension that human behavior is complex and multideterminated should be sufficient to defend respect to multiple forms of sexual manifestation. It states also that the respect to diversity should not be conditional to the absence of control that is inferred in the genetic determination, but the notion of right, diversity and control itself requires further reflection by the civil society.

Keywords : Sexual orientation; homosexuality; science; genetic determination; politics.

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