title: Putting a spin on circulating reference, or how to rediscover the scientific subject.
abstract: Bruno Latour claims to have shown that a Kantian model of knowledge, which he describes as seeking to unite a disembodied transcendental subject with an inaccessible thing-in-itself, is dramatically falsified by empirical studies of science in action. Instead, Latour puts central emphasis on scientific practice, and replaces this Kantian model with a model of "circulating reference." Unfortunately, Latour's alternative schematic leaves out the scientific subject. I repair this oversight through a simple mechanical procedure. By putting a slight spin on Latour's diagrammatic representation of his theory, I discover a new space for a post-Kantian scientific subject, a subject brilliantly described by Ludwik Fleck. The neglected subjectivities and ceaseless practices of science are thus re-united.
authors.affiliation: Zukunftskolleg, Box 216, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany. Electronic address: jwkochan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kochan
mesh_terms: D019359:Knowledge; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards; D012586:Science
keywords: Bruno Latour; Circulating reference; Ludwik Fleck; Post-Kantian subjectivity; Scientific practice