UNDERSTANDING NUTRITION AS A SCIENCE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FROM THE PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

Abstract

This paper analyzes nutrition as a science, presenting diverse perspectives on its concepts and the characteristics of scientific knowledge in this field. Nutrition as a science is characterized by its descriptive, explanatory, and predictive capacity, as well as by its critical approach to reality and its aspiration to the universality of its propositions. Although objectivity is sought, this claim is subject to debate due to the ideological dimension of science. 

Nutrition is classified as a factual science that studies reality in its multiple dimensions, integrating both natural and social aspects. It also incorporates elements of formal sciences to deepen our understanding of factual phenomena. 

The concept of objectivity is analyzed within the premise of the social construction of knowledge, identifying objects, ideas, and criteria of truth in nutrition as products of this construction, assuming that only that which is spoken or written about exists. Nutrition is examined from its biological and social dimensions, beginning with reductionist and biologistic perspectives. This initial approach allows for the identification of limitations in the understanding of nutrition, which leads to the development of more advanced proposals that argue for the need to adopt a transdisciplinary approach to its study. 

Finally, the limits of nutrition as a modern science are discussed, highlighting emerging phenomena for which adequate responses cannot be offered. It is proposed to complement scientific knowledge with other paradigms that allow for a more comprehensive approach to the complexities of nutrition.