Pragmatogony : the impact of things on humans

Abstract

In both scientific work and in philosophy our concern is that subjects are directed towards objects, studying them, having control over them, getting to know them, and having them in their power. Michel Serres taught us that it is extremely necessary to reverse this direction. According to him we should describe the emergence of the object: how does the object come to the human, how does it shape humans and direct their lives? This process is called pragmatogony, a combination of two Greek words, namely pragma (thing, matter) and gonos (the created). The primacy of the object, or of things, are dealt with in terms of an archaeology of things. From this archaeology of things emerges the anthropology of science. This notion refers to the anthropological actions of science which clearly indicates that the sciences, however pure they claim to be, can never be separated from human involvements and that they are actively involved in this. This poses an argument in favour of the irreplaceable importance and relevance of the humanities not only for humans but also for the sciences and scientific work in general. The links and connections between humans, things, the sciences and the world constitute a generative power for invention that takes us forward in difficult times. The celebration of things and the creative power of the arts with respect to things illustrate the importance of a pragmatogonic stance for the survival and regeneration of the relevance of the humanities in any society and in all societal institutions. In scientific work, our preferred methodological concern generally is that subjects are directed towards objects, studying them, controlling them, giving shape to them, getting to know them and even possessing them and having power over them. However, Michel Serres, the French philosopher and historian of science, teaches us that it is extremely necessary to work towards the reversal of this direction. Although the familiar approach is that subjects study objects, Serres wants to find out what impact and what

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