http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/taxonomy/term/43 en http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/157 Politics <p>The criticism levelled by Gerard de Vries against the political theory implicit in science studies offers a good occasion to render more precise the different meanings the word « politics » may have in the literature on the « politics of science ». It is certainly time to use the same methods that have modified the theory of science so much, on the practice of politics. The commentary on de Vries’s paper offers just such a clarification by distinguishing five successive meanings of the adjective « political ».</p> Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:04:49 +0000 admin 157 at http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/165 Compositionism Politics <p>The critical spirit might have turned empty as long as there is no alternative to the first empiricism -that of matter of fact: doubting of matters of fact can only mean getting away from the possibility of providing a proof. Things are different if a second empiricism is argued for, one that deals not with matters of fact but with matters of concern. Then, it might be possible to provide public proofs even though facts are no longer indisputable.</p> Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:10:05 +0000 admin 165 at http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/168 Anthropology Politics <p>If one takes seriously the notion of cosmopolitics developped by Isabelle Stengers and the diplomatic work it entails, one is engaged in a rethinking of the link between cultures and natures –now in the plural- ; it is argued here that the extension of nature can no longer count as the diplomatic way of creating a common world ; alternatives are explored including the notion of constructivisme, an unlikely candidate at first, but a good possibility in the end.</p> Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:47:05 +0000 admin 168 at http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/189 <p><a href="http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/189" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Ecology & Political Ecology Politics <p>This paper explores the destiny of political ecology. It is very much influenced by the French political situation and the continuing marginality of the various Green parties. It relies on three different strands. First a very interesting model to understand political disputes devised by two French sociologists, Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot in a book that is not yet available in English (Boltanski &amp; Thévenot 1991). Second, a case study by the author on the recent creation by law of what could be called “local parliaments of water” (Latour &amp; Le Bourhis 1995).</p> Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:18:19 +0000 admin 189 at http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/190 Philosophy Politics Semiotics & Literature Studies <p>A detailed analysis of Plato’s Gorgias allows to see how the famous debate between Might and Right has been rigged, since Socrates and Callicles agree on everything against the people of Athens. But then, once the moral red herring has been pushed aside, it is still possible to see in the dialog the traces of the conditions of felicity proper to politics and ignored by Socrates’ appeal to Reason as well as by Callicles’ appeal to Force. The Body Politic made impossible by their settlement, can be made possible again as soon as other definitions of science and politics are provided.</p> Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:21:23 +0000 admin 190 at http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/208 <p><a href="http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/208" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Politics <p>Realpolitik turns out to be a very unrealistic version of politics. In effect, most of our political passions and interests are turned toward things –the oldEnglish and German Ding- that could be translated nowadays by ‘issues’. But in spite of this constant attention to things, political theory remained in a rather abstract level of opinions, positions, standing, problem solving and, ingeneral, discursive attitudes.</p> Fri, 07 Oct 2011 08:11:01 +0000 admin 208 at http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/234 <p><a href="http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/234" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Philosophy Politics Technology <p>In this series of three lectures -shortened in one long paper- is presented the philosophical, sociological and mythical account of the links between humans and non-humans; the first section explores the notion of translation in order to give activity back to objects, the second follows empirical examples of technical systems and the third offers a mythical account of how humans and techniques co-evolved. The general purpose of the article is to show that there are many ways to escape the dualist paradigm separating humans and non-humans.</p> Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:02:16 +0000 admin 234 at http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/273 <p><a href="http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/273" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Philosophy Politics Sociology of Science <p>Three examples in physics (Archimedes), anthropology (Baudin) and biology (Pasteur) are used to define the new realism that emerges from radical science studies of experiments; an anthropological model is offered as an alternative to the Great Divide. But why was Archimedes so emboldened by his apodictic demonstration that he could move the planet and why was Hiero so amazed by the smaller scale show, impressed (as the text tells us) by the power of technique? Because "some great weight may be moved by a slight force". Is it possible to reverse the age old balance of forces?</p> Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:26:24 +0000 admin 273 at http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/357 Politics <p>Published in « How to Think like a State » The Thinking State edited by Wim van de Donk, Scientific Council for Government Policy, The Hague, 2007, pp. 19-32.</p> Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:45:57 +0000 admin 357 at http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr/node/373 Politics <p>Commissionned by the German SPD party in order to seek what sort of new definition of the Left would emerge if a science studies perspective was taken on a politics freed from the burden of Science conceived in the traditionnal way.</p> Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:03:38 +0000 admin 373 at http://cms-brunolatour.sciences-po.fr