Books & ideas

The Origins of Environmental History

Kevin Bouillot — 2026-04-28T07:03:34Z

Our understanding of nature differs from that of the Greeks and Romans. From the “month of the ox” to “the forest goddess,” the ancients never thought to separate humans from the flora and fauna around them.

The Dark Side of Telescopes

Florian Mathieu — 2026-01-27T07:30:00Z

Drawing on a socio-historical study of the construction of astronomical observatories on the island of Hawai‘i, Pascal Marichalar shows that scientific policies can no longer be considered separately from their ecological and social impacts.

The Pseudoscience that Shieldied Police Violence

Magda Boutros — 2025-04-03T07:29:00Z

“Excited delirium” is a diagnosis that was used to absolve police officers of responsibility for the deaths of Black and Brown men. For decades, it was legitimized by a network of forensic pathologists, law enforcement agencies, and private companies that sustained this pseudoscience.

There May Be Evidence for This, But...

Benoît Peuch — 2024-07-02T16:22:46Z

Is scientific evaluation sufficient to improve educational practices? For many teachers, evidence-based policy constitutes an obstacle to their own practices because it relies on statistical generalizations without taking into account their professional intuitions.

What Political Economy for Science?

Brice Laurent — 2023-12-26T08:30:00Z

By putting forward an analysis of the historical depths of the bonds connecting science to capitalism, Gabriel Galvez-Behar's book opens up stimulating research perspectives for a critical analysis of the political economy of knowledge.

Facing Bolsonaro's Attack on Science and Social Protection in the Pandemic

Émilie Frenkiel & Alfredo Ramos — 2020-07-09T07:00:00Z

Bolsonaro's policy focuses on the destruction of social protection, science and political pluralismo. A coalition of actors, comprising national and local leaders, has emerged to limit its disastrous results in the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic.

The Glory of Carbon

Marc Fontecave — 2019-03-11T07:00:00Z

Although carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, it is also—like carbon itself—a vital partner for humanity and life. Two philosophers of science have issued a sharp yet elegant reminder.

Non-replicable

Aurélien Allard — 2018-05-28T07:00:00Z

Over the last twenty years, some of the social and bio-medical sciences have had to face the impossibility of replicating some of their most famous experiments. Although this situation raises serious concerns, it is an opportunity to fundamentally renew the scientific methodology in these disciplines.

The Mechanics of the Gaze

Carl Havelange — 2018-04-23T07:00:00Z

What if the expression “visual culture” were to be taken literally? By retracing two centuries of optical inventions and reflections on the eye as a machine, this richly illustrated anthology shows how Western moderns learned to see.

Psychological War

Claire Pagès — 2018-03-12T08:00:00Z

The history of psychoanalysis is made up of violent controversies that have much to do with Freud himself—a figure who is both hated and revered. But overemphasizing these conflicts can overlook the fact that psychoanalysis also consists of a practice, which exists independently of Freudianism and anti-Freudianism.