Desenvolvimento: ambigüidades de um conceito difuso

during the last five decades the term "development" has occupied a central place in the social sciences, in economical sciences, in political circles, in the mass communication media as a whole as well as in the establishment of public policies. however, the term is questioned by many people and there are concerns about how it could and should be promoted. this article intends to clarify the different elements and aspects related to the term "development", employing an episte-mic/systematic approach. it takes as reference the categories and terminology biology employs concerning the processes of change. the observation of distinctions, relations and mechanisms that take place in the biotic dimension, may bring a significant contribution to the definition and dynamics of changing of social and economical processes.