Daston and Galison's 'Objectivity' Traces Scientific Seeing from 17th Century to Nanotech

In 'Objectivité', historians of science Lorraine Daston and Peter Galison analyze scientific atlases from the 17th century to the present to chart the evolution of the scientific eye and mind, linking it to the art of representing nature. The study examines plates by Linnaeus and Buffon, 'tool-images' from nanotechnology, Francis Galton's composite portraits, Bertrand Russell's diagrams, and physicist Arthur Worthington's 'splash shadows'. They identify five regimes of object construction in science, with objectivity itself emerging as only one regime, dominant from the mid-19th century to the interwar period. Objectivity pairs mechanized recording (e.g., photography) with a morality of knowledge as 'blind vision' devoid of emotion, contrasting with earlier practices where scientists 'improved' nature, as in Audubon's engravings. The history of images and objects of knowledge is tied to the history of the scientific subject and the virtues demanded of them, from self-effacement to judgment, varying over centuries. The authors' own perspective surfaces, particularly in their characterization of the current dominant scientific regime as proceeding by 'smoothing', which may oversimplify complex positions like Otto Neurath's. Published by Les Presses du réel, the book is beautifully edited and carefully translated.