Rachael Natoli 9/18/16
rln5@geneseo.edu Approximately 160 Words
INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing
Bruno Latour commonly refers to the dichotomy between natural science and society in We Have Never Been Modern. Latour states that “all of culture and all of nature gets churned up again everyday.” In other words, writing about natural sciences and writing about culture should not be kept separate as many issues in our world today must be thought about and dealt with in more ways than one.
If Latour were to look out from the gazebo and see the many acres of farmland that surrounds Geneseo he would agree that the topic of farming could be discussed in many aspects. On the natural science side one could talk about how many farmers use unsustainable farming techniques that corrode the soil and cause bodies of water to become polluted with pesticides. However, agriculture also has many political and social factors that are also part of the larger conversation such as, the legality of GMO labeling and food safety concerns.
Hi Rachael, I really like the direction you’re going with thinking about the different aspects of farmland (fact, power, discourse), and I’d like to see you go further in this direction. I also think you need to address the fact that you’re talking about the view from the gazebo, rather than just farmland itself, and consider whether Latour would have anything to say about the role of the observer (could translation and purification be helpful to you here?). I don’t see you thinking yet about how language or discourse is represented in the farmland, so that’s something to consider. And I’d also like you to keep a lookout for things about the farmland as seen from the gazebo that exceed Latour’s theory—that is, what you can add to or change about the theory based on your object. Thanks for this!