Reality, as Benjamin (2003[1982]) projected Nietzsche’s idea of Eternal return (2001[1882]; 2006[1883]), is a tricky movement of perpetual recurrence. The same concepts of immanence and incompleteness can be found in Deleuze’s difference (1994[1968]) and in Borges’ circularity[1]. The conceptualization of difference in Deleuze —strongly tied to repetition— is inspired, among other things, by Borges’ story
CategoryEmpirical-philosophy
Concomitance and dissimilarity
What can STS learn from Times Square for doing ethnography? Let us begin this section by exploring an ontological complication[1] (OC). This OC was stated in the noun of the sentence above, the main question this research adresses: STS. Is STS a valid subject? That question becomes relevant when brought in line with a couple
Seducing and trapping
It does not matter what you may think about Times Square, you cannot deny the place has a strong ability to capture things: bodies, glances, capital, emotions, opinions. The plaza’s attractiveness is revealed in many scenarios: Its screens and media; its history; its many representations in popular culture; its location; its activity, tradition, tensions contradictions
Reducing the principle of Irreduction
As Graham Harman (2009) pointed out, the second part of “The Pasteurization of France (Latour, 1988), Irreductions, is perhaps the most philosophical work of Bruno Latour: ” ‘Any argument about my “philosophy,”’ Latour writes, ‘has to start with Irreductions, which is a totally orphan book.’” (Harman, 2009: 12). The philosophical content of Irreductions is also
Reductions
As an ontological provocation, the idea of writing this piece of research is to encourage the debate around the linkage between urban studies and STS from an empirical-philosophical viewpoint mostly inspired by Annemarie Mol’s perspective on post[1]-Actor-Network Theory, Viveiros de Castro’s multi-naturalism (2004) and Heidegger’s ontological work on usability (2008[1962]). This research is also an
STS as a parasite
Let me begin with some general clarifications before going deeper into the idea of the parasite. There is no such thing as STS discipline, neither in general terms nor related to urban studies. I will lean on Tight’s work about higher education (2020) to support the statement I am proposing here. In an attempt to