The Role of Non-human Actors in the Construction of Scientific Fact in Bruno Latour's Conception

The main topic of this thesis is the construction of a scientific fact as a special case of construction of reality. Bruno Latour is connected to this in several perspectives through which will this thesis capture his position. It describes his concept of science, originating from his laboratory studies, and its later embedding under the actor-network theory. In both cases, the emphasis lays on withdrawal from explanation through complex invisible forces, used by contemporary sociology. Latour refuses to explain a scientific fact through reference to outside world and society. According to him, attention should shift to the local and empirically approachable level. On this level there are collectives of human and non-human actors, who act together. Latour's conception of the construction of a scientific fact is put to test by the critique from sociology of knowledge. The strong program of sociology of knowledge understands the scientific fact as a joint product of reality and society. Non-humans (principally laboratory technology) play a key role in this dispute. Sociology of knowledge does not include them in their analysis, because they are not taken as social actors. Technology is on the other hand a core element in the construction of scientific fact in Latour's conception. Readers of this thesis will..