Techno-Scientific Practices: An Informational Approach

(Paperback)

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In scholarly debates, as well as in everyday parlance, we tend to pull science and technology apart: science gives us theory, and technology applies it. In practice, however, science and technologies are highly intertwined. This book sets out to look at the practice of science, and to elucidate the role of technologies and of instruments in the process of knowledge production. In this exercise, it becomes evident that technologies cannot be analyzed on their own, but always in relation to us epistemic agents. Thus, the book pleads for the importance to look at the process of knowledge production in techno-scientific practices, in which there is a triad of relations to look at: us the instruments and the world. The book thus builds bridges between Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Technology, and Science and Technology Studies in an unprecedent way.

Reviews

A truly groundbreaking critical book-length study which argues with analytical zeal for a novel epistemological and ontological lens for technology. This book consolidates Russo's important work as a leading scholar in the philosophy of technoscience in an innovative and pioneering way. It is a successful demonstration of what bringing together philosophy of technology, philosophy of science in practice, and science and technology studies can achieve. A must read for any scholar in ANY of these disciplines. Simply sensational.

In Techno-Scientific Practices, Russo proves herself to be a masterful bridge-builder. She connects an astonishing range of fields without ever losing sight of her central project: to account for knowledge production by human and artificial epistemic agents. She is absolutely right that it takes a lot to understand techno-scientific practices, but it is remarkable how much understanding can already be gained just by reading this book.

Author Bio

Federica Russo is a philosopher of science and technology based at the University of Amsterdam. Among her publications: Causality: Philosophical Theory Meets Scientific Practice, Causality in the Sciences, and Causality and Causal Modelling in the Social Sciences. She is co-editor in chief (with Phyllis Illari) of the European Journal for Philosophy of Science and Executive Editor of Philosophy and Technology. For more information please visit russofederica.wordpress.com.