Time, Science and the Critique of Technological Reason

Description

This festschrift commemorates the legacy of UK-based Portuguese sociologist Hermínio Martins (1934-2015). It introduces Martins’ wide-ranging contributions to the social sciences, encompassing seminal works in the fields of philosophy and social theory, historical and political sociology, studies of science and technology, and Luso-Brazilian studies, among others. The book features an in-depth interview with Martins, short memoirs, and twelve chapters addressing topics that were central to his intellectual and political interests. Among those that stand out are his critique of Thomas Kuhn’s theory of scientific revolutions, his work on the significance of time in social theory and the interweaving of techno-scientific developments and socio-cultural transformations, including the impact of communication and digital technologies, and of market-led eugenics. Other themes covered are Martins’ work on patrimonialism and social development in Portugal and Brazil, and his analysis of the state of the social sciences in Portugal, which reflects his highly critical appraisal of the ongoing marketization andneoliberalization of academic life and institutions worldwide. Front Matter ....Pages i-xviii Introduction (Bridget Fowler)....Pages 1-30 Front Matter ....Pages 31-31 Hermínio Martins and the State of the Social Sciences: An Interview with the Author (Helena Mateus Jerónimo)....Pages 33-54 Memoirs of His Widow (Margaret Martins)....Pages 55-62 Hermínio Martins: Memoir of a Colleague (Roland Robertson)....Pages 63-68 Alternatives to Physicalism: Memoirs of a Friend (Peter Ells)....Pages 69-74 Hermínio Martins at Leeds: A Personal Memoir (Leslie Sklair)....Pages 75-78 Front Matter ....Pages 79-79 Kuhn and Social Science (William Outhwaite)....Pages 81-98 Revolutions in Science and Art: Martins, Bourdieu and the Case of Photography (Bridget Fowler)....Pages 99-123 Front Matter ....Pages 125-125 Cultural Identity of the Non-Spain: A Case Study of the Cultural Policies of the Portuguese Estado Novo (‘New State’) (Luís Gomes)....Pages 127-151 Front Matter ....Pages 153-153 Hermínio Martins’ Philosophical Sociology of Technology: A Short Introduction (José Luís Garcia)....Pages 155-182 Time and Tide in Sociology (Charles Turner)....Pages 183-190 Transhumanism’s Fabian Backstory: A Companion to Martins’ Later Work (Steve Fuller)....Pages 191-207 Liminal Contexts and Critical Insights: The Cases of McLuhan and Debray (Peter McMylor)....Pages 209-230 Karl Marx: New Perspectives (Richard Kilminster)....Pages 231-264 The ‘Modelling of Speech’ in America and Britain (Stephen Mennell)....Pages 265-287 The ‘68 Disobedient Generation’ and the Rise of ChiVirLa (Mike Gane)....Pages 289-319 The Information Revolution and Its Implications for Democracy (Laurence Whitehead)....Pages 321-345 Thinking About Think Tanks: Politics by Techno-Scientific Means (Stephen P. Turner)....Pages 347-365 Back Matter ....Pages 367-390