false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172047446m/134569.jpg 134569 9 <p> 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. </p><p> 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 Latour'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 overwhelming--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 culture--and so, between our culture and others, past and present. </p><p> Nothing short of a reworking of our mental landscape. <i>We Have Never Been Modern</i> 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. </p> 3058288 1991 We Have Never Been Modern total:106|5:41|4:38|3:15|2:11|1:1| 106 425 194 8 2 0 false false Mon Feb 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 00:54:03 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 03:30:55 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 10 08:04:09 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 10 08:06:37 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 31 23:24:07 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 31 23:49:39 -0800 2009 having lots of diagrams, plates, and figures working in a fairly modern way]]> 2 0 false false Tue Oct 13 15:15:43 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 15:16:10 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Oct 28 06:08:12 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 28 06:13:03 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Nov 25 21:52:17 -0800 2007 Sun Nov 25 21:56:55 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu May 01 06:34:55 -0700 2008 Thu May 01 07:14:26 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Dec 25 15:55:12 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 25 16:06:30 -0800 2007 5 0 false false Fri Nov 20 10:30:06 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 20 10:30:06 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Mon Nov 16 07:45:56 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 16 12:17:21 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Nov 01 02:06:34 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 01 02:06:37 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Mon Oct 26 09:49:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 09:49:00 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Oct 25 08:04:36 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 08:04:36 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Oct 24 07:49:32 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 07:49:32 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Oct 22 08:30:17 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 22 08:30:17 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Oct 19 05:02:31 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 05:02:31 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Oct 14 07:41:37 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 07:41:40 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Oct 13 09:34:59 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 09:34:59 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Oct 12 18:28:12 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 18:28:16 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Oct 11 12:41:19 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 12:41:19 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=134569