"Society is not made up just of men, for everywhere microbes intervene
and act" (35)
This article by Bruno Latour introduces the theme of interconnectedness. This ubiquitos force that connects everything to everything (see quote above) is something on which Latour organizes the focus of his book, The Pasteurization of France. Above all, Latour aims to explain the scientification of society through references regarding Pasteur.
In allusion to War and Peace by Tolstoy, Latour follows the same train of logic by ascribing a multiplicity of agents as the factor for Kutuzov's conquest over Napoleon as opposed to giving credit to just these great men. Following our reading of Tolstoy two weeks ago, one can say that it is the totality of mankind that decides the trajectory of history. Latour furthers this notion by claiming that the totality of the universe (beyond mankind, i.e., microbes) define the trajectory of history.
Ultimately, Latour wishes to unveil the nature of such forces in their relation to war and peace.
"These polemical versions of what science is and should be are convenient to fight the barbarians and keep them at arm's length; they are of no avail for describing what a polemic is and how science and war have come to be so intermingled" (6).
One can see, according to Latour, that the synthesis of science and war is a question of modernity starting with Pasteur's discovery. Latour argues that in the continual trend of mixing science and war, using the one for the other, we have inherited certain qualities from Pasteur's health revolution that make the division difficult to see. This is because "Our problem in simultaneously describing wars of science, religion, and politics comes from the fact that we have no idea how to describe any war without adding to it the result of a science: strategy, history, sociology, theology, or economics."
It is most visible here how the interconnectedness of war and science have led to their unification in modern times. As more and more science is developed and expanded, so follows the development and expansion of war in factors such as army size, weapons, and war tactics. This can more easily be seen in the example of history which is itself a science of mankind throughout time. History, especially the political kind, provides certain justifications, agents so to speak, that provide a foundation for war. Even the history of food can disclose its relation to war through the examples of food production and consumption - and how those vary according to times of war and peace
Moving to the more philosophical aspect of this article, we are faced with the interesting thesis of multiplicity. Latour refers to Tolstoy and agrees in the multiplicity of agents/actors within the field of history and society. He claims that everything is interdependent and furthermore, cannot be self-sufficient. His notion of ideas discloses his thesis : "An idea, even an idea of genius, even an idea that is to save millions of people, never moves of its own accord. It requires a force to fetch it, seize upon it for its own motives, move it, and often transform it" (26). With this citation, one can infer that Latour is indeed a "multiplist" in the sense that he attributes force to an infinite number of agents.
On this note, Latour elaborates upon the interconnectedness of everything (a certain relativism) that defines not only one agent, but all the others through their relations. Hence, we can assume that Pasteur's discovery not only influences the field of science, but of war, and furthermore, everything else in its wake. The reorganization of society that occurs consequentially in terms of science and war is none other than the product of the entirety of it continual development.
Ultimately, Latour's philosophy is all-inclusive.
An example of how I believe he would view the trajectory of history would be as such: A microbe came into being through other microbes, these microbes (and other cells) compose the Earth, human beings are essentially composed of microbes and other cells, these in turn give the capability for thought, this thought in turn is being written down right now, and it is because of the ubiquitous relations between everything throughout history that I am able to do this.
This article by Bruno Latour introduces the theme of interconnectedness. This ubiquitos force that connects everything to everything (see quote above) is something on which Latour organizes the focus of his book, The Pasteurization of France. Above all, Latour aims to explain the scientification of society through references regarding Pasteur.
In allusion to War and Peace by Tolstoy, Latour follows the same train of logic by ascribing a multiplicity of agents as the factor for Kutuzov's conquest over Napoleon as opposed to giving credit to just these great men. Following our reading of Tolstoy two weeks ago, one can say that it is the totality of mankind that decides the trajectory of history. Latour furthers this notion by claiming that the totality of the universe (beyond mankind, i.e., microbes) define the trajectory of history.
Ultimately, Latour wishes to unveil the nature of such forces in their relation to war and peace.
"These polemical versions of what science is and should be are convenient to fight the barbarians and keep them at arm's length; they are of no avail for describing what a polemic is and how science and war have come to be so intermingled" (6).
One can see, according to Latour, that the synthesis of science and war is a question of modernity starting with Pasteur's discovery. Latour argues that in the continual trend of mixing science and war, using the one for the other, we have inherited certain qualities from Pasteur's health revolution that make the division difficult to see. This is because "Our problem in simultaneously describing wars of science, religion, and politics comes from the fact that we have no idea how to describe any war without adding to it the result of a science: strategy, history, sociology, theology, or economics."
It is most visible here how the interconnectedness of war and science have led to their unification in modern times. As more and more science is developed and expanded, so follows the development and expansion of war in factors such as army size, weapons, and war tactics. This can more easily be seen in the example of history which is itself a science of mankind throughout time. History, especially the political kind, provides certain justifications, agents so to speak, that provide a foundation for war. Even the history of food can disclose its relation to war through the examples of food production and consumption - and how those vary according to times of war and peace
Moving to the more philosophical aspect of this article, we are faced with the interesting thesis of multiplicity. Latour refers to Tolstoy and agrees in the multiplicity of agents/actors within the field of history and society. He claims that everything is interdependent and furthermore, cannot be self-sufficient. His notion of ideas discloses his thesis : "An idea, even an idea of genius, even an idea that is to save millions of people, never moves of its own accord. It requires a force to fetch it, seize upon it for its own motives, move it, and often transform it" (26). With this citation, one can infer that Latour is indeed a "multiplist" in the sense that he attributes force to an infinite number of agents.
On this note, Latour elaborates upon the interconnectedness of everything (a certain relativism) that defines not only one agent, but all the others through their relations. Hence, we can assume that Pasteur's discovery not only influences the field of science, but of war, and furthermore, everything else in its wake. The reorganization of society that occurs consequentially in terms of science and war is none other than the product of the entirety of it continual development.
Ultimately, Latour's philosophy is all-inclusive.
An example of how I believe he would view the trajectory of history would be as such: A microbe came into being through other microbes, these microbes (and other cells) compose the Earth, human beings are essentially composed of microbes and other cells, these in turn give the capability for thought, this thought in turn is being written down right now, and it is because of the ubiquitous relations between everything throughout history that I am able to do this.
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