Summary
Bruno Latour argues that to understand science and technology's authority, one must study their practice as they are built and accepted. The book analyzes scientific activity by examining its components: scientific literature, laboratory work, and the institutional context. It demonstrates how social context and technical content are inseparable for comprehending scientific endeavors.
The author develops an analysis of science as the construction of networks, showing how weaker rhetoric becomes stronger and how inventions become accepted through various means, including tribunals of reason. This perspective challenges traditional views of science and technology by emphasizing their dynamic, relational nature, revealing how science functions in action.
Key concepts
- Science as the building of networks — Latour's model for understanding scientific activity as the creation and expansion of interconnected relationships.
- Tribunals of reason — A mechanism by which scientific claims are tested and validated, contributing to the acceptance of discoveries.
- Centres of calculation — Facilities or institutions where scientific data and observations are processed and interpreted, forming strongholds for scientific arguments.
- From weaker to stronger rhetoric — The process by which scientific claims gain authority and acceptance.
- From short to longer networks — The expansion and strengthening of scientific connections over time.
From the book
Description: Science and technology have immense authority and influence in our society, yet their working remains little understood. The conventional perception of science in Western societies has been modified in recent years by the work of philosophers, sociologists and historians of science. In this book Bruno Latour brings together these different approaches to provide a lively and challenging analysis of science, demonstrating how social context and technical content are both essential to a proper understanding of scientific activity. Emphasizing that science can only be understood through its practice, the author examines science and technology in action: the role of scientific literature, the activities of laboratories, the institutional context of science in the modern world, and…
Snippet: From weaker to stronger rhetoric : literature - Laboratories - From weak points to strongholds : machines - Insiders out - From short to longer networks : tribunals of reason - Centres of calculation.