On the Modern Cult of the Factish Gods

Bruno Latour

‘On the Modern Cult of the Factish Gods’ continues the project that the anthropologist, philosopher, and influential science studies theorist Bruno Latour commenced in his earlier book ‘We Have Never Been Modern’.  These titles both revolve around the Enlightenment idea of universal scientific truth, where Latour attempts to argue that there are no facts separable from their fabrication. Latour does so by delving into the "belief in naive belief," the suggestion that fetishes - objects invested with mythical powers - are fabricated, and that "facts" are not. Mobilizing his work in the anthropology of science, he uses the notion of "factishes" to explore a way of respecting the objectivity of facts and the power of fetishes without forgetting that both are fabricated. Latour pursues his critique through the notion of "iconoclash," and does so by making productive comparisons between scientific practice and the worship of visual images and religious icons.