The Myth of Being Modern: Bruno Latour and the Illusion of Separation
Explore Bruno Latour's philosophy in The Myth of Being Modern. Discover why the separation of nature and society is an illusion and how hybrids define our world.
Best quote from The Myth of Being Modern: Bruno Latour and the Illusion of Separation
The 'modern' identity we’ve built for ourselves—this idea that we are the enlightened ones who finally separated objective facts from subjective human values—is actually a bit of a myth. We are constantly mixing them together to create 'hybrids' like climate change, which is both a natural phenomenon and a social crisis at the very same time.
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The podcast explores Bruno Latour's 1991 book, We Have Never Been Modern, which argues that the defining trait of modernity—the clean separation between nature and society—is actually a myth. While we attempt to put objective facts like DNA and climate into one box and subjective human values like politics into another, Latour suggests these categories are constantly being mixed together in practice.
In the context of Latour's work, hybrids are entities that exist at the intersection of nature and society, blending objective science with human influence. Examples include a global pandemic or the hole in the ozone layer. These phenomena prove that the 'modern' identity of keeping labs and parliaments separate is an illusion, as we are constantly creating things that belong to both worlds simultaneously.
The podcast discusses how the 'modern' identity is built on the belief that we have successfully separated objective nature from subjective human society. However, by looking at complex issues like climate change, it becomes clear that these two boxes are incredibly small and cramped. Because we have never truly achieved this separation in practice, Latour argues that the very definition of being modern is an illusion.
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
