Bruno Latour, Aramis, or the Love of Technology, PDF - Dss-edit.com

"But then why not say it was research?"[More and more annoyed] 'No, really, it isn't research, having a CET-it'smore instructive. We could have lined up research proiects without doing athing. Orly was much less convincing than the full-scale trial. With research,you're throwing money out the window, you're going every whichway."No, no, I'm a partisan of the full trial. You have to finalize; that forcespeople to get specific about their ideas. It has to work on the site; I reallybelieve in the value of the concrete realization ."Excuse me for dwelling on this, but this is the essential point. Finally, in1988, the overall project is iustified by the repercussions, though people don'tknow exactly what these are, which is normal if you're doing basic research;but when I tell you it's research you say no, it's finalized, it's full scale?""But how do you expect to finance a research budget like that? It's impossible;it's not aeronautics, or nuclear power. It really does have to be finalized,reusable; there has to be a line.""But in the end, there isn 't any line, or any research either. ""Of course there is! There's the fallout: it's irrigating the entire world oftransportation, and it's been highly profitable to Matra-to us, too, in the end."[no. 22, pp. 15-20]M. Gontran, technical advisor in Fiterman's cabinet:"But you knew it was state-of-the-art, hyperrefined technologically, that itlooked more like research and that consequently, if you wanted useful fallout,it was crucial not to finalize, not to shut down too quickly?""There's the whole problem in the relationship between technicians andpoliticians."Politicians skim over this sort of detail as soon as the DTI or the RATP saysthe thing can work. If the press has got hold of it as well, there's a realstampede. It's the logic of the media."Okay, it's true, I didn't oppose it. I made notes. I said, 'This part and thatone haven't been tested,' but that sort of doubt is perceived, by politicians, astypical of researchers having a good time, nitpicking; it's perceived as perfectionism.If it's a question of safety, then yes, that interests them, but the rest, no."';4. research project can't be sold as a research proiect? Why does it alwayshave to be packaged?""Because it's politically unmanageable. Because of the announcement effect,you can't sell a proiect and ask for five years. The central administrationcan't understand the research process. You can't want to go back over thingsthat have already been achieved . Research requires too much time.