Based on interviews, media analysis, and participant observation at research labs and conferences, this book analyzes how assumptions designed into and read out of the experimental process reinforce specific notions about human nature. It demonstrates how brain scans contribute to our social dependence on scientific authority.
Über den Autor
Joseph Dumit is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Science & Technology Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a coeditor of Cyborgs & Citadels and Cyborg Babies and Associate Editor of the journal Culture, Medicine & Psychiatry.
Klappentext
"Dumit's highly original oral history of how PET was developed and his cultural readings of how it is now being used are chock full of fascinating materials and insights. Among its many strengths, this intriguing book is itself highly interdisciplinary. It enables readers to see how powerful new scientific images constantly collapse into and condense old philosophical dilemmas."--Rayna Rapp, New York University
"Ethnographic work on new medical technologies is rare and has an important contribution to make to debates about changing ideas of the body and about the role of medical knowledge in society. "Picturing Personhood" provides a timely, clear, and useful introduction to the problems and dilemmas of the production and use of PET scanning. It is undoubtedly a key contribution to our understanding of the social impacts of a technology that will become increasingly significant in many settings in the next decade."--Nikolas Rose, London School of Economics
