Skepticism in Brazil: An Overview

Abstract

This paper investigates the landscape of skepticism in Brazil by mapping the sociological and intellectual contours of this specific academic community. The text establishes, as a methodological framework, the consolidation of Oswaldo Porchat's neopirronism from 1991 onward, without reducing Brazilian research to the Porchatian project. In the first part, the skeptical research community is methodologically delimited. In the second part, the article presents the main research landmarks, highlighting authors and their respective lines of inquiry. Finally, the text advances three conclusions: the centrality of historical studies; the existence of a cohesive and institutionally articulated research community; and the lesser emphasis, in Brazil, on the combative aspect of skepticism.

Keywords: Skepticism. Journal Sképis. Porchat.