The professor of the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration (FGV/EBAPE), Richard Fonseca, ministered on November 25th - 26th the extension course Rationality and truth in the public sphere, at Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), in Belém.The objective was to present, based on concepts from Ethics and Political Philosophy, the relationship between moral values, laws and practices that guide some of the debates in the public sphere. I've tried to bring out the main theoretical foundations that feed some contemporary debates, such as abortion, scientific research on embryonic stem cells, among others, said Professor Richard Fonseca.The course was part of the 3rd National Research Conference for the Undergraduate course in Philosophy of UFPA, which took place on November 25th-29th, with the theme Ethics and Political Philosophy: Contemporary Challenges.Richard Fonseca holds a PhD in Political Ethics and Philosophy by the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), and attended part of his doctorate course at the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany. At EBAPE, he acts as deputy head of Undergraduate studies.*at the picture, the city of Belém, at Pará - an brazilian northern state