From the scientist and his (dis)legitimation: Atila Iamarino and the context of Coronavirus in Brazil in 2020

Abstract

In this text, we start from the conceptual assessments of postmodernity proposed by Jean-François Lyotard (2020) to observe and discuss the legitimacy position of the scientist as a specialist involved in the so-called contemporary 'expertise crisis', presented by the author Gil Eyal (2019) . Along the way, we briefly reflect on the main changes in the formation of modern science, the occurrence of postmodernity and the tension in specialization relations. The empirical material refers to a series of negative comments to an opinion post by Brazilian biologist Atila Iamarino on the social network Twitter, in June 2020. In the assessment of which elements are evidenced by users who are critical of the scientist, the analyzes demonstrated the absence of arguments on the part of opponents and the resistance to the use of a totalizing scientific argumentation, with criticism not of the work, but of the person of the scientist.