Value Oscillation in Knowledge Infrastructure: Observing its Dynamic in Japan’s Drug Discovery Pipeline

Masato Fukushima

doi:10.23987/sts.55929

Abstract

This paper analyses the dynamics of assigned values in two cases relating to the knowledge infrastructure of the national programme in Japan that develops drug discovery: in establishing a database of natural product compounds and in constructing a library of virtual compounds. The concepts of value oscillation and of the M-B (Marx-Bowker) index are proposed to designate the fluctuating appreciation of infrastructure value by its builders. These concepts combine insights from classical Marxist thought on the infrastructure/superstructure distinction (neglected in recent studies on infrastructure in STS) and Bowker’s infrastructural inversion. Though value oscillation is almost ubiquitous in the development of any infrastructure, in the cases considered here, it takes peculiar forms because of the complex interaction of the material and knowledge infrastructures. It is widely distributed in the sub-layers that support the autonomy of these knowledge infrastructures and is a precondition for knowledge infrastructures to function as delineated entities.Keywords: value, infrastructure, drug discovery, oscillation, structure

Highlights

Concepts are the ways through which we see the world, and scholars have long realized that apparent conceptual lucidity may hide winding paths that can produce a variety of contradictory nuances, leading to persisting controversies
As drugs are material entities that require a vast amount of heterogeneous knowledge, the development of the knowledge infrastructure in this context is closely related with its material counterpart in producing drugs. By highlighting these two aspects, this paper examines the various appearances of value oscillations throughout the complex, multi-layered character of the knowledge infrastructure and how the practitioners deal with the situation in each contextual effort, along with the consequences5
I have argued here that current studies of infrastructure have suffered from historical amnesia lacking critical dialogue with the preceding Marxist discussions on Infrastructure in terms of the genealogy of concepts

Summary

Introduction

Concepts are the ways through which we see the world, and scholars have long realized that apparent conceptual lucidity may hide winding paths that can produce a variety of contradictory nuances, leading to persisting controversies. ‘infrastructure’ is defined as the material entity designated by the term, and the wider assemblage of activities involving quasipublic services to others, works of a sub-contractive nature, and backstage efforts including those indirectly related to infrastructure building The juxtaposition of these two names signifies the intrinsic continuity of the two approaches in terms of inverting the underlying value, while simultaneously emphasising the practitioners’ view and action; in addition, the index becomes an visualized means for observing the oscillating attitude of the concerned practitioners. By highlighting these two aspects, this paper examines the various appearances of value oscillations throughout the complex, multi-layered character of the knowledge infrastructure and how the practitioners deal with the situation in each contextual effort, along with the consequences

Background

Discussion

Findings

Conclusion

Chemical Abstract