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Biographies of Scientific Objects

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This book hopes to spark a discussion of ontology among historians of science. Daston wants to change the unquestioned neo-Kantian conviction that 'scientific objects' have a timeless 'reality.'

Daston has collected 11 essays on temporary 'scientific' objects. Daston contributes an introduction and shortened version of her earlier paper on 'preternatural' science. The rest are new.

Daston is convinced that scientific objects are created by inquiring minds rather than 'discovered' in the environment. Many would disagree, but I think the arguments are of great interest. For example, 'ether' was an object of 'scientific research' for much of the 18th and early 19th century. 'Ether' was as real as water molecules are today. 'Ether' has now slipped out of the scientific conversation.

Was 'ether' ever a 'scientific object'? Was it ever real? If it was never 'real', could the 'object' contribute to something we now think is 'real,' something like the 'quantum' particle. One of the essays goes into great detail on this and the simple neo-Kantian answer suffers from the examination.

The following is a list of the essay titles:
'Preternatural Philosophy': The scientific study of singularly rare objects such as comets, two-headed babies, and sea-monstersl
'Mathematical Entities in Scientific Discourse': the birth and development of 'symbolic objects' such as the earth's center of gravity.
'Dreams and Self-consciousness': scientific study of 'dreams.' Something that was an object of science in the 18th century and 20th centuries, but ignored in the 19th.
'Mutations of the Self in Old Regime and Postrevolutionary France': How the term 'ame' became the scientific object 'le moi.'
'The coming into Being and Passing Away of Value Theories in Economics (1776-1976): 'Value' as scientific object.
'...Society as a Scientific Object.'
'..Why Culture is not a Disappearing 'Object.' '
'How the Ether Spawned the Microworld': A failed scientific object, ether, provides the theoretical foundations for contemporary quantum 'objects.'
'Life Insurance, Medical Testing and the Management of Mortality': Non-scientists of the insurance business create the object 'high blood pressure' and medical science catches on later.
'On the Partial Existence of Existing and Nonexisting Objects': Are diseases 'scientific objects' or only a collections of symptoms?
'Cytoplasmic Particles': The mutation of 'mitocondria' objects into DNA objects.

As Daston points out, the essays hold no single philosophical perspective. As such, the book does a good job of covering a variety of views and hopefully contributing to discussion.

For me, it is a real treasure.