From Ages to Landscapes. A Critical Perspective on the "Age of the Atom": Encounters between STS and Philosophy of Technology
Abstract
STS studies have sought to make science look at everything going on in a field of study and not limit itself to theory, as evidenced by what is called the "empirical turn" in the philosophy of technology. This study shows the possible link between the philosophy of technology and the STS perspective, proposing the concept of time-landscape as more appropriate than that of chronological time to understand current technological changes. In this sense, beyond the theoretical conjectures about technology, this research takes nuclear energy as a case study to question and weigh the traditional assumptions of technical change, adopting the methodological principle of the requirement of concreteness of empirical studies and the concept of socio-technical imaginary. The inquiry process combined elements such as epistemology, ethics and politics in an anthropological perspective. Finally, it is argued that the use of nuclear energy, considered as part of the age of the atom, opens the possibility of thinking about time in terms other than chronological. The study also helps to illustrate the mutual benefits of a partnership between STS studies and philosophy of technology.
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