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HERO ID
7336067
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
The contradictions and dangers of bruno latour's conception of climate science
Author(s)
Stamenkovic, P
Year
2020
Publisher
Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca
Volume
9
Issue
13
Language
English
DOI
10.5281/zenodo.3567195
Abstract
This article debunks Bruno Latour's seemingly pro-scientific and well-intentioned (in particular, environment-friendly) posture. I briefly summarize Latour's constructivist, relativist, hybridist, and mystic philosophy, insisting on his radicalization in his last two books (Face à Gaïa and Où atterrir?). I show that Latour's conception is akin to âpseudo-profound bullshitâ (Frankfurt, Pennycook et al.), inasmuch as he tries to hide his mysticism behind the invocation of scientific facts. I then concentrate on Latour's politicization of climate science, showing that it is: self-contradictory from an epistemological point of view, since it presupposes scientifically established facts (such as anthropogenic climate change) while at the same time undermining their objectivity; counterproductive, and even dangerous, from the political point of view, since it recommends a full politicization of climate science and ignores its harmful effects. I conclude by advocating a distinction between science and politics, and by showing that Latour's philosophy fosters our current post-truth predicament. © Studia Humanitatis - Universidad de Salamanca 2020
Keywords
Bruno Latour; Bullshit; Climate science; Politicization of science; Pseudo-profound
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