PREFACE

The Philosophy and Politics of Information research group of IBICT is pleased to present another issue of the journal Logeion - Filosofia da Informação. Our journal is a place for the presentation of points of view and critical arguments in the various areas that work with Information.

Critical thinking and theories are particularly relevant in the current scenario of the Covid-19 global pandemic, which has turned into a social catastrophe in Brazil. The tragedy is not only the millions of infected people and the thousands of dead, but also unemployment, hunger and misery.

As if viral disease and the social disease were not enough, Brazil faces serious conflicts over public policies in the context of the pandemic. The conservative policy of fiscal adjustment with cuts in public spending has taken its toll: reduction of investment in health, education, and research affects the ability to respond to the pandemic.

At the same time, the Brazilian federal government refuse to recognize both the aggressiveness of the pandemic viral disease and the proper use of means of protection, diagnosis, and treatment. The effects of this denialism have been devastating.

Thus, thinking becomes a social necessity to rationally face an acute life-threatening situation that is in deep imbalance. And critical thinking is key to confronting the overlapping social crisis, pandemic, and denialism.

In this issue of Logeion we reaffirm our commitment to a broad and critical view and approach to Philosophy of Information. We work with all areas of Philosophy: Ethics, Politics, Epistemology, Logic, Metaphysics and Aesthetics.

This issue opens with the article "Jürgen Habermas' theoretical influences on information science indexed at Brapci", by Rene Faustino Gabriel Junior, Leilah Santiago Bufrem Bufrem, Marcia Heloisa Tavares; and "Discourse analysis: epistemological dialogues with Foucault and Heidegger", by Mariana Rodrigues Gomes de Mello and Marta Lígia Pomim Valentim.

A second large group of articles presents theoretical and critical discussions of information and information science: thematic treatment, misinformation, informational competence, information sources, and folksonomy.

The articles in this group are as follows: "Ethical issues in thematic treatment of information and the impact on informational accessibility" by Lais Pereira de Oliveira; "Disinformation, truth and post-truth" by Mariana Rodrigues Gomes de Mello and Daniel Martínez-Ávila; "Information competence for racial equality" by Arthur Ferreira Campos, Erinaldo Dias Valério and Gleyce Kelly Alves Sousa; “A theoretical view about information resources and literary and biográficas universe of Clarice Linspector, by Roberia de Lourdes de Vasconcelos Andrade and Sanielly Ianar Alves Lima; "Analysis of folksonomy in Passei Direto Collaborative groups", by Jéssica Pereira de Oliveira and Fabio Assis Pinho. 
 

There is another group of articles that brings issues of contemporary society: digital and virtual, the concept of culture and transparency. The articles are the following: "Virtual and digital in the light of contemporary sociological and philosophical theory", by Júlio Marinho Ferreira; "The influence of Williams for construction of a concept of culture in Information Science in Brazil", by Ísis Trindade da Silva Cunha, Rafael Silva da Câmara, and Leilah Santiago Bufrem; and "Social networks as tools of transparency in times of Covid-19", by Paulo Ricardo Silva Lima, Francisca Rosaline Leite Mota, and Ana Paula Orico Marques.

Finally, there is a last group with two articles that talks about memory and archives in digital information society. They are: "Dynamic relations between memory and forgetfulness: from ambivalences to antinomies in digital world", by Paulo Ricardo Silva Lima and Edivanio Duarte de Souza; "The future is not like before: visions about Archives in the Future facing challenges of the present", by Marcelo Calderari Miguel and Rosa da Penha Ferreira da Costa.

We thus hope to contribute to presentation and diffusion of critical thought. Pluralistic democratic societies are founded on Modernity that is actualized in criticism. There can be no understanding in societies where there is no freedom of expression and criticism.

Working in an unequal society like the Brazilian  requires going beyond functional knowledge. We have to build our paths to justice. Certainly this path is not given by dominant ideas, product of exploitative colonization and domination that had barons and slaves.

If we want to be a democratic and sovereign society we have to change. We can no longer be reduced to an eternal farm, exporter of grains and minerals. Just as we can no longer accept being prisoners of the violence of overseers and militias. We must invest in emancipating education.

Enjoy your reading!

Rio de Janeiro, March 21, 2021

Clóvis Ricardo Montenegro de Lima

Editor