Toward an epistemology of nano-technosciences

Jan C. Schmidt

doi:10.1007/s10202-011-0104-z

Abstract

This paper aims to contribute to the attempts to clarify and classify the vague notion of “technosciences” from a historical perspective. A key question that is raised is as follows: Does Francis Bacon, one of the founding fathers of the modern age, provide a hitherto largely undiscovered programmatic position, which might facilitate a more profound understanding of technosciences? The paper argues that nearly everything we need today for an ontologically well-informed epistemology of technoscience can be found in the works of Bacon—this position will be called epistemological real-constructivism. Rather than realist or constructivist, empiricist or rationalist, Bacon’s position can best be understood as real-constructivist since it challenges modern dichotomies. Reflection upon the contemporary relevance of Bacon could contribute to the expanding and critical discussion on technoscience. In the following I will reconstruct the term “technoscience”. My finding is that at least four different understandings or types of the term “technoscience” co-exist. In a second step, I will analyze and elaborate on Bacon’s epistemological position. I will identify central elements of the four different understandings in Bacon’s work. Finally, I will conclude that the epistemology of technoscience is, indeed, very old—it is the epistemological position put forward by Bacon.

Highlights

Bacon is back—perhaps he has never been away! The physicist Michio Kaku sees late-modern societies ‘‘on the cusp of an epoch-making transition, from being passive observers of Nature to being active choreographers
The idea of this paper is to show that reviewing Bacon might serve to foster and substantiate the technoscience discourse
The provocative suggestion made by this paper is that a little more ‘‘materialism’’ would be very helpful to epistemology, to cope with the taciturnity of nature, and with the harshness of day-to-day reality: technology, economy, society, life situations, working worlds, technological consequences

Summary

Introduction

Bacon is back—perhaps he has never been away! The physicist Michio Kaku sees late-modern societies ‘‘on the cusp of an epoch-making transition, from being passive observers of Nature to being active choreographers. Today’s technoscience can be considered as a new tip of the iceberg of the Baconian project of modern science and the modern age in general.. Bacon became the crystallization point and the addressee of severe critique for the various side effects of science, enlightenment and modernity in general: as Baconianism.. The provocative suggestion made by this paper is that a little more ‘‘materialism’’ would be very helpful to epistemology, to cope with the taciturnity of nature, and with the harshness of day-to-day reality: technology, economy, society, life situations, working worlds, technological consequences Referring to ideas and arguments expressed in the works of contemporary scholars, I ask: Does Francis Bacon provide a hitherto largely undiscovered programmatic position which might facilitate a more profound understanding of technosciences and technoscientific politics, in particular of nanotechnoscience I will identify central elements of the four different understandings in Bacon’s work. (4) I will conclude that Bacon’s program is prevalent in the technoscience discourse: An epistemology of technoscience is, very old—it is an epistemology put forward by Bacon

Technoscience

Ontology and objects

Conclusion

Bacon’s epistemology in recent technoscience