Quand un sociologue révèle à un physicien ce que sont les atomes

Abstract

Bruno Latour has profoundly transformed my vision of science, and more specifically my vision of atoms. Once particles that represented the profound reality of matter, atoms became the specific way in which physicists had tamed matter in order to mathematise and control it from the laboratory. They represent a good example of the positive feedback between theoretical knowledge and machines which led to the great acceleration and is now confronting us with planetary limits. Today, Bruno Latour's work should inspire us to learn how to socialise this “engine science” and to imagine what a “terrestrial” physics could be, contributing to the habitability of the Earth.

Keywords

• modelling
• ecology
• ontology
• emergence
• physics
• atom