We Have Never Been Modern

We Have Never Been Modern
- Used Book in Good Condition
With the rise of science, we moderns believe, the world changed irrevocably, separating us forever from our primitive, premodern ancestors. But if we were to let go of this fond conviction, Bruno Latour asks, what would the world look like? His book, an anthropology of science, shows us how much of modernity is actually a matter of faith. What does it mean to be modern? What difference does the scientific method make? The difference, Latour explains, is in our careful distinctions between nature and society, between human and thing, distinctions that our benighted ancestors, in their world of alchemy, astrology, and phrenology, never made. But alongside this purifying practice that defines modernity, there exists another seemingly contrary one: the construction of systems that mix politics, science, technology, and nature. The ozone debate is such a hybrid, in Latourâ‚¬s analysis, as are global warming, deforestation, even the idea of black holes. As these hybrids proliferate, the prospect of keeping nature and culture in their separate mental chambers becomes overwhelmingâ‚¬â€¢and rather than try, Latour suggests, we should rethink our distinctions, rethink the definition and constitution of modernity itself. His book offers a new explanation of science that finally recognizes the connections between nature and cultureâ‚¬â€¢and so, between our culture and others, past and present. Nothing short of a reworking of our mental landscape. We Have Never Been Modern blurs the boundaries among science, the humanities, and the social sciences to enhance understanding on all sides. A summation of the work of one of the most influential and provocative interpreters of science, it aims at saving what is good and valuable in modernity and replacing the rest with a broader, fairer, and finer sense of possibility.
Country USA
Brand Harvard University Press
Manufacturer Harvard University Press
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 21126380
UnitCount 1
UPCs 783324915792
EANs 9780674948396
ReleaseDate 1993-10-15

Country	USA
Brand	Harvard University Press
Manufacturer	Harvard University Press
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	21126380
UnitCount	1
UPCs	783324915792
EANs	9780674948396
ReleaseDate	1993-10-15

We Have Never Been Modern

You might also like...