(20167-P2)Social Philosophy Interpretation of Latours Chapter 8

Michiel Zimmer
From the experience of discomfort -because of the problematic ecological system- Latour
concludes that there has been an error and this error has been caused by the confused
moderns. In his therapeutic efforts, Latour tries to humble the moderns by both showing the
problematic nature of an autonomous self that is in control, and by trying to neutralize the
modernist narrative of progress.
In chapter 8 he illustrates this by introducing technological beings. For the
anthropologist this theme is interesting since technology has always been perceived by the
Moderns as one of the primary identifiers of themselves, differentiating them from other
cultures. For Latour, the modernist view of technology is simplistic and needs adjustment.
The logos, a reflection, in technology has not been present and it seems that technology
escaped a proper reflection. Technology is for him not, like the moderns thought, a simple
means to increase comfort in a nature that is harsh. It has seemingly not only brought us
comfort, but also discomfort (ecology). It seems we do not have that much control over it as
we thought we did.
What are technological beings then for Latour? To answer this, Latour starts by
comparing/contrasting them with the already treated beings of reproduction and beings of
metamorphosis. Similar to beings of metamorphosis, technological beings impose upon us
and transform our being. Thus for Latour we are rather products of technology, not creators.
They demand something from us and we continually expect it to work. Thus there is a
relationship of dependence. Our behavior is adjusted by technology(example: phone), since it
both demands attention in maintenance(taking care of) and it demands skill(practice) of the
users, and we depend on technology in our daily life so that we can continue functioning
properly (delegation/entrusting, we shift activities to technological beings). All this is part of
the technological mode of being and it is not just a matter of objects. We could call it
participation. But this participation is not the result of a rational contract being signed, it is
something we are already involved in and, according to Latour, only realize this when
technological processes are not working the way we expect them to work, and these
expectations are usually themselves products of technological beings. For Latour, this
dysfunction of technological processes is the moment in which they are present and we can
observe and grasp what beings of technology are.
Technological beings are different from beings of metamorphosis, however, in that
technological beings are constantly hiding themselves, only showing themselves for a brief
moment, not like the enduring beings of metamorphosis. Within ruptures (errors) of patterns
of expectations, technological beings become visible, but when it is fixed/working again, they
become invisible to us. In everyday life, we are busy doing all sorts of things. We are part of
automatic processes and only realize we are involved in these processes when these
processes/activities are interrupted.
These beings are also hiding in another way. To use an analogy: We are actors in a
sort of theatre in which it is for the actors not of importance how the props are made and
where they come from. All that matters is its usefulness in using it during the performance. A
whole world of production remains hidden behind the stage (like a movie immerses us, while
behind it there is a whole process working). If we imagine this stage to be constantly
changing, for example to apply to different theatre houses and working with different actors,
we can see that, through mutations within the different contexts of different uses of the
technological products, adaptations will be necessary to keep this performing working. (In
this sense technological beings are similar to beings of reproduction, but beings of
reproduction are less malleable and have no choice in the matter of existence, since they
cannot start over.)
But behind this production a whole process of compositing from a whole range of
materials from many different parties hides. Latour qualifies technological beings with the
(20167-P2)Social Philosophy Interpretation of Latours Chapter 8
Michiel Zimmer
term folding. Within a technological being, a manifold of delegated activities, consisting of
processing different materials generated through different times come together by many
different actors at different places. By using a particular tool, one alters oneself (one is being
adjusted) to this tool and thus becomes engaged/entrusted in the using of it. (I already
discussed this when I mentioned how technological beings adjust behavior)