title: [Mediation between social knowledge and practices: the rationale of soft technology, praxis and art].
abstract: This paper analyzes three rationales used to understand the relationship between knowledge and practice. It acknowledges and criticizes the hegemony of the technological rationale, and points out that use of the concept of soft technology does not resolve the typical epistemological reduction of the technical rationale when it studies social practices, management and healthcare work. An analytical and conceptual method is suggested to analyze social practices and healthcare work, using a technological rationale, in addition to that of the praxis and the art.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva e Social, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. gastaowagner@mpc.com.br
authors.forename: Gastão Wagner de Sousa
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Campos
mesh_terms: D020811:Biomedical Technology; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D012961:Sociology