Essays on the Anthropology of Reason

211 Pages·1996·2.43 MB·English

by  Paul Rabinow

Essaoysnt heA nthropoloofgR ye ason
E D T O RS
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Essaoysnt he
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P RIN CETON UNIV E RSIT Y P RE SS
P RIN CE TON,N EW J ERSE Y
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PublishbeyP dr incetUonni versPirteys4 s1,W illiam Street,
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LibrofCa ornygr Cesast alogingD-aitna- Publication
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Essyaso nt heA nthropoloofRg eya so/n P auRla binow
p. cm.-(Princsettuodni iencs u lture/power/history)
Includbeisb liograprheifcearle nacnedis n dex.
ISBN0 -6195119-(-0alk1p. a per).­
ISBN0 6-9115-1-80(3p bkalk. paper)
1I.nt ellelcitfuea-lH tiosr y-20ctehn tur2y.S. c ienacned
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INM EMORY OF
GEORGESCAN GUILHEMAND HANS BLUMENBERG
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Contents
Preface
IX
Acknowledgments xviii
CHAPTER1
Scienasc ea PractEitcheo:Ls o,g osP,a thos 3
CHAPTE2R
RepresentatioSnosc iAFaralec tMso:d erniatnyd
Post-Moderinn iAtnyt hropology 28
CHAPTE3R
On theA rchaeoloofgL ya teM odernity 59
CHAPTE4R.
GeorgeCsa nguilhAe mV:i tRaalt ionalist 80
CHAPTE5R
ArtificiaanldiE tnyl ightenmFernotm:S ociobiotloo gy
Biosioaclity 91
CHAPTE6R
GaltonR'esg reOtf:T ypeasn dI ndividuals 112
CHAPTE7R
SeveritnhgeT iesF:r agmentatainodDn i gniitny
LateM odernity 129
CHAPTE8R
Steptso wardT hai rCdu lture 153
CHAPTE9R
AmericaMno dernOsn: SciencaensdS cientists 162
Index 189
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Preface
Inventciano bne j ointeodd icsoveriyna na rt
whichi sp rodcutivoeft hinagnsd a rtosrs iklls
rathtehra onf w ordasn da rgumenotrbs e liefs.
(RircdhM acKeo,n" ThUes eso fR hetionria c
TechnolAoggei'c]a l
Ino rdefro rc ritciismt ob er esponsible,
itm usta lwabyesa ddresstoes do meonweh o
can contesitt .
(TalAasald ',Th e Concepto fC ulturTraaln slation
inB ritisSohc ailAn thropogly"o).
EACHT EXiTn t hiass semblwaagsew rittaesan n a ttemtpotf ormu­
latae p robletmo,r espontdoq uestiotnofis n,d a meanst om ove
arouncdo nceptuaaffle,c tiavned,p ragmatoibcs taclIensd.i vidu­
allayn dc ollievcetltyh,e ya rticulwaotrek incgo nclusiaobnosu t
specirfaitci onalaintdti heess tanocnee m ighatd optto wartdh em.
Theya ref oratyhs ahte lpemde toi maginfeo,r mularteef,o rmu­
lataed,v ancaed,a patn,d m odify am ultiproncgoeudr soefi nquiry
andr eflectTihoanti. n quiwrays l argealbyo utth ei nventioofn
new techniqupersa,c ticseist,eo sb,j ectasn,d subjecittsw ;a s
equallayb ourte flecotnih nogw " newt"h esteh inagcst uawlelrye1 .
Diachronitchaelsleeys sawyesr er esearcahneddw rittaelno ng­
sidoet helra rger-psrcoajleec Attfis r.s Itt hougohftc haracterizing
theiprl acaen ds tyalsep ara-ethnogr(appahfriraoc,m theG reek,
''besidHeo'w'e)v.et rh,e m orea ccuraptree fiixs d iIe?n G reekd,i a
hasa rangoef m eaning tihsma otr ea ctiavned p rocessutrhaaln
parDai.ad e noterse latiaonnd /or motion: throughout (tempo­
rala)c,r ostsh,r oug(hs omethibnegt)w,e eonra ftetrh,r oug(ht he
instrumeonrt m eanso r mannert hrougwhh icha thinigs
achievemda)r,k( ap lacoer s pacien a line)s,c att(esrp aciendt er­
valsH)e.n ce, diachdrioangirca,m matdiica,g nostic, diasporic,
ix
PREFACE
anda t ermIw ilrle turtnod ,i alecTthiect .e xtasss emblheedr aer e
dia-ethnogrtahpehnii,cnt , h es ensoef t raverstihneeg t hnos.
Butw hate thnoDsu?r ing etahrel 1y9 80Isp ,a rticipiantt ehde
charged explorationnsa tuarbeoa untdl etghiet imoafce yt hno­
graphaiuct hortiotdya iyd entifiweidt hW ritinCgu ltuTrhee.n a,s
now,a tt hec entefro rm e wasm eetinmgy ownc hallentgo" ea n­
thropolotghiezW ee sts:h owh owe xotiitccs o nstituotfir oenal ity
hasb eene:m phasitzheo sdeo mainmso stt akfeo rg rantaesdu ni­
versa(lt hiisn cludeepsi stemolaongdye conomicmsa)k;e t hem
seema sh istoricallya spp eocsusliibsalhreo ;wh owt heicrl aimtso
trutahr el inketdos ociparla ctiacnedsh aveh encbee comeeff ec­
tivfeo rceinst hes ociwalo rld.W"h3e n thea gonisdtiiscc ussion
abouhto w tod o sucht hingwsa st urneidn taon tagonipsot­ic
lemic-yaento thsekri rmiisnth h ec ultuwrae{ �-iste ememdo re
'
fruitf(urla thtehra nd ebatitnhge m etaphysibcmfso ralasn dh y­
pothetipcoalli titcops r)a ctiscoem eo ft hel essolnesa rned.
Thisfr ame partiaslhlayp eFdr necMho derna, b ooka boutth e
genealoogfyu rbana nds ocipalla nniansga privileged experi­
mentasli tew,h eren ormedf ormso fm odernr ationality were
turneidn tao p ractiacneda technocrpaotliict iIcw sa.sc4 e ntrally
concernweidt ht hef ormt hamto dernr ationalwietriege isv en,
onet hacto nstitkuntoewdl edgienss u cha mannetrh atth elyi ter­
alloyb ligtehde o bjects (bpoodpiuelsa,t isooncsi,e ttioeb se)r e­
formeIds .o ughttou nderstahnodwa certatiynp oef s ociaaclt or,
"technicoifga enn eriadle ase,m"e rgeadr,t iculaatneded x,p eri­
encetdh er isaen dt riumpohfw hatM icheFlo ucaun:almte d" bio­
power.F"o ucauldte'fisn itioofnb io-power-"bwrhoautg hlti fe
and imtesc hanisimnst toh er ealmo fe xpliccailtc ulatainodn s
madekn owledge-poawne arg enotf t ransformaotfih ounm an
,
lif,e5-waas s tartpionign at p,r omisoefw orkt oc omeo,n eF ou­
caulnte velri vetdo fu lfillF.o rt harte asosnu,b stanptairatlos f
FrnecMho dernw ere devottoae sdp ectst hoelf i fsec iencteost :h e
choleerpai demiicnst he1 830st,h er isoef s tatisatsia c psu blic
healttho olt,h ep ersistoefnL caem arckianiinsF mr ench biology,
thep olitical raotfei poindaelmiitoyl aongdhy y giene.
Int hew akeo fF rnecMho dernI,b e gacna stianbgo uitn t hee mer­
gentc ross-oavreera( sb etwesecni enctee,c hnol,on gayturceu,l -
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