拉图尔行动者—网络—理论中的“网络”概念及其认知的范式转换

The Concept of "Network" and Its Cognitive Paradigm Shift of Latour

拉图尔行动者—网络—理论中的“网络”概念,既不是指电话网一类的实体性的东西,也不是指用来表征和刻画认识对象的预先设定的框架,而是对作为转义者的行动者相互作用、制造差异所留下的痕迹如何进行追踪的一种思想工具,它是思维的一个工作网。行动者—网络—理论实际上是把一个具体的三维事件投射到二维的平面上,并在思维的网络中把一些行动者互动所留下的痕迹作为一些网点串联起来,从而达到记述或者描述事件及其发展过程的目的。整个过程充满着各种可能的意外、不确定性甚至失败,研究者只能像记账一样,写下其“风险记述”,即“用一种混乱的方式给一个混乱的世界加上一种混乱的描述”。该理论在如何看待社会世界及其社会性以及如何经验地、可见地展现社会性上,都与传统社会学理论根本不同,实现了认知方式上的一种范式转换。

The concept of‘network in Latour s actor-network-theory does not refer to the physical things such as the telephone network,nor does it refer to the pre-set framework used to characterize and depict the cognitive objects,but is an ideological tool to trace the traces left by the interaction and differentiation of actors as mediators.It is a work-net of the mind.Actor-network-theory actually projects a specific three-dimensional event onto a two-dimensional plane,and connects the traces left by the interaction of some actors as some dots in the network of thinking,so as to achieve the purpose of describing or describing the event and its development process.The whole process is so full of possible surprises,uncertainties,and even failures that researchers can only write their"writing down risky accounts"like bookkeeping:that is,"a messy description of a messy world in a messy way."This theory is fundamentally different from the traditional sociological theory in how to view the social world and the social and how to empirically and visibly show the social,and realizes a paradigm shift in cognitive mode.