Bruno Latour and the Lie of Modernity

Are we truly "modern"? In this video, we explore Bruno Latour's groundbreaking 1993 work, "We Have Never Been Modern." Latour argues that the defining characteristic of modernity is the "Great Divide"—the artificial separation between Nature (nonhumans) and Society (humans). According to the sources, the "modern" project relies on two distinct practices: purification, which creates two entirely distinct ontological zones (humans and nonhumans), and translation, which creates "hybrids" that mix nature and culture together. The paradox of modernity is that the more we forbid the mixing of these two poles through our official "Constitution," the more these hybrids—like global warming, the ozone hole, or biotechnology—proliferate beneath the surface. Key concepts discussed include: • The Modern Constitution: The silent agreement that separates the power of things (science) from the power of people (politics), exemplified by the historical debate between Robert Boyle and Thomas Hobbes. • Quasi-objects: Entities that are neither purely natural nor purely social but exist as networks that connect the two poles. • The Parliament of Things: Latour's proposal for a nonmodern future where we officially recognize these networks and allow nonhumans to be represented alongside humans in our political and scientific discourse. By realizing that "we have never been modern," we can stop trying to maintain the impossible gap between science and politics and start addressing the complex, interwoven reality of our world. #BrunoLatour #Philosophy #Modernity #ScienceAndTechnologyStudies #ParliamentOfThings #Sociology #NatureCulture #Hybrids #PoliticalPhilosophy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To understand this concept, imagine a weaver who insists that the warp (vertical threads) and weft (horizontal threads) of a fabric must never touch or interact. While the weaver's official rules say the threads are separate, the only way they can actually create a piece of cloth is by intertwining them into a single, complex tapestry.