埃博拉,科学与虚拟之间

Ebola, between science and fiction

主要分析了如何通过虚拟模式进入诸如埃博拉之类的传染性疾病的管理,并在此基础上区分出两种不同的模式。因为无法计算概率,所以传染病常常被认为具有灾难性,而本文解释了"虚拟"模式如何被用以预防这种灾难。在对突变病毒的想象中,"虚拟"体现了应当如何在病毒开始传染的不洁的空间里将其遏制。在对有害病毒的想象中,"虚拟"则表现具有不同高度的意志的存在物之间的互动,"虚拟"还能够让我们思考这些互动的不确定性。立足于具象人类学,本文将展示两种对立的模式,一种为来自游牧社会的类比(analogie)本体论,另一种则是狩猎社会的万物有灵论(animisme)。还审视了在流行病的当代管理中,"病毒猎人"的角色。

This article examines the introduction of fiction in the management of emerging infectious diseases such as Ebola.Two modalities are distinguished to explain the use of fiction in the preparation of catastrophic epidemics whose probability cannot be calculated.In the imaginary of mutant viruses,fiction represents spaces of impurity through narratives of contagion,aiming at containing the disease.In the imaginary of viruses as enemies,fiction represents interactions between beings endowed with intentions on different scales,and helps to cope with the uncertainties of these interactions.Drawing on the anthropology of figuration,this article shows that these two modalities can be described through the opposition between an analogical ontology,anchored in pastoral practices,and an animistic ontology,anchored in synergetic practices.This questions the role of images of virus hunters in the contemporary management of epidemics.