Key Concepts & Exam Triggers

What does “interpretive flexibility” mean?

What does “actor” mean in Latour’s theory?

Any entity capable of acting or influencing others

Define “delegation.”

Transfer of human responsibility to technology (e.g., a speed bump delegates policing)

Define “network.”

The web of relationships among actors that stabilizes technology’s role

Give one phrase to identify each theorist on a multiple-choice test:

Bentham/Mill – happiness; Kant – universal law; Aristotle – mean; Gilligan – care; Pinch/Bijker – interpretive flexibility; Latour – actor network