Bruno Latour’s "We Have Never Been Modern" argues that the belief in modernity, characterized by a distinct separation from premodern ancestors due to the rise of science, is a matter of faith rather than fact. He posits that this conviction shapes our understanding of the world and asks readers to consider an alternative perspective if this foundational belief were abandoned. The book presents an anthropology of science to deconstruct the assumed irreversibility of modernity.
Latour challenges the linear progression from primitive to modern societies, suggesting that our perceived break from the past is an illusion maintained by our faith in scientific advancement. By examining how we construct our understanding of the world, the book reveals the constructed nature of the "modern" condition and encourages a re-evaluation of this fundamental conviction.
Key concepts
- Modernity — A conviction that the rise of science irrevocably separated humans from their premodern ancestors.
- Anthropology of science — A discipline used to examine how modernity is constructed.
- Matter of faith — The idea that the core tenets of modernity are based on belief rather than objective reality.