Bøker i History and Philosophy of Technoscience-serien

What kind of stuff is the world made of? What is the nature or substance of things? These are ontological questions and they are usually answered with respect to the objects of science. The objects of technoscience tell a different story that concerns the power, promise and potential of things - not what they are but what they can be. Seventeen scholars from history and philosophy of science, epistemology, social anthropology, cultural studies, and ethics each explore a research object in its technological setting, ranging from carbon to cardboard, from arctic ice cores to nuclear waste, from wetlands to GMO seeds, from fuel cells to the great Pacific garbage patch.

The Fukushima disaster invites us to look back and probe how nuclear technology has shaped the world we live in, and how we have come to live with it. Since the first nuclear detonation (Trinity test) and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, all in 1945, nuclear technology has profoundly affected world history and geopolitics, as well as our daily life and natural world. It has always been an instrument for national security, a marker of national sovereignty, a site of technological innovation and a promise of energy abundance. It has also introduced permanent pollution and the age of the Anthropocene. This volume presents a new perspective on nuclear history and politics by focusing on four interconnected themes-violence and survival; control and containment; normalizing through denial and presumptions; memories and futures-and exploring their relationships and consequences. It proposes an original reflection on nuclear technology from a long-term, comparative and transnational perspective. It brings together contributions from researchers from different disciplines (anthropology, history, STS) and countries (US, France, Japan) on a variety of local, national and transnational subjects. Finally, this book offers an important and valuable insight into other global and Anthropocene challenges such as climate change.

The depths of the oceans are the last example of terra incognita on earth. Adamowsky presents a study of the sea, arguing that - contrary to popular belief - post-Enlightenment discourse on the sea was still subject to mystery and wonder, and not wholly rationalized by science.

This book engages with post-truth as a problem of societal order and for scholarly analysis. It claims that post-truth is more deeply entangled with main Western imaginations of knowledge societies than commonly recognised.

Prompted by the Fukushima disaster, this volume explores how nuclear technology has shaped the world and how we have come to live with it. Multidisciplinary (anthropology, history, STS) and transnational in scope, it features themes such as violence, containment, normalization, and memories.

Traditionally experimentation has been understood as an activity performed within the laboratory, but in the twenty-first century this view is being challenged. Schwarz uses ecological and environmental case studies to show how scientific experiments can transcend the laboratory.

Systems of units still fail to attract the philosophical attention they deserve but this could change with the current reform of the International System of Units. This book invites a philosophical inquiry that promises to overcome the tensions that have long obstructed science studies.

This volume refocuses conversations about classification on un-natural, or synthetic, kinds via extensive study of two paradigm cases of unnatural kinds: in the first place, nanomaterials, and in the second, stem cells and synthetic biology.

The application of standard measurement is a cornerstone of modern science. In this collection of essays, standardization of procedure, units of measurement and the epistemology of standardization are addressed by specialists from sociology, history and the philosophy of science.

This collection offers a new understanding of the epistemology of measurement. The interdisciplinary volume explores how measurements are produced, for example, in astronomy and seismology, in studies of human sexuality and ecology, in brain imaging and intelligence testing. It considers photography as a measurement technology and Henry David Thoreau's poetic measures as closing the gap between mind and world.

How can we measure intelligence or quality of life? Building on recent developments in the sciences, this collection offers new understanding of the epistemology of measurement. The case studies foster important dialogue between disparate fields, exploring diverse topics such as brain imaging, sexual orientation and seismology.

Assessment of error and uncertainty is a vital component of both natural and social science. This edited volume presents case studies of research practices across a wide spectrum of scientific fields. It compares methodologies and presents the ingredients needed for an overarching framework applicable to all.

By examining objects that hold a prominent place in contemporary science and technology, contributors to this collection present a new direction in the philosophy of technoscience. Core concepts from research in emerging disciplines such as nanotechnology, molecular medicine and the environmental sciences are explored via a range of case studies.

Focusing on cell dynamics, molecular medicine and robotics, contributors explore the interplay between biological, technological and theoretical ways of thinking. The collection makes a strong contribution to current debates in the philosophy of science and the changing role of scientific practice.

The essays in this collection explore our reliance on experts within a historical context and across a wide range of fields, including agriculture, engineering, health sciences and labour management. Contributors argue that experts were highly aware of their audiences and used performance to gain both scientific and popular support.

Assessment of error and uncertainty is a vital component of both natural and social science. This edited volume presents case studies of research practices across a wide spectrum of scientific fields. It compares methodologies and presents the ingredients needed for an overarching framework applicable to all.

This volume presents cutting edge research from junior iHPS scholars, and in doing so provides a snapshot of current developments within the field.

Over the last four decades computers and the internet have become an intrinsic part of all our lives, but this speed of development has left related philosophical enquiry behind. Featuring the work of computer scientists and philosophers, these essays provide an overview of an exciting new area of philosophy that is still taking shape.