“Flexible Sciences” / «Sciences souples»?

Les mystifications philosophiques du professeur Latour

Les sciences exactes et les sciences “souples” sont effectivement dans le même bateau.

Apart from the debate itself (which I only learned about recently), this notion of «sciences souples» in opposition to “exact sciences” is quite interesting.
Surely, others have discussed it but the term isn’t sticking yet. I like it, though. It’s telling and rather “neutral.” Not sure “flexible” is the right word in English. “Soft” would be obvious (“softener” for «assouplisseur») and is used on occasion (I do use it) but doesn’t render the same idea. «Souple» is the opposite of “rigid” but “nonrigid” is too negative a way to put it.

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Author: enkerli

French-speaking ethnographer, homeroaster, anthropologist, musician, coffee enthusiast.

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