Is Another Science Possible? And Can STS Say Anything About It?

Originating from the opening plenary session of the 6th STS Italia Conference “Sociotechnical Environments” (Trento, 24-26 November 2016), devoted to the topic “Sociotechnical Environments: actors, technologies, geographies and new kinds of action”, the contribution is one of three articulating different relationships among actors, technologies and sociotechnical environments. Specifically, the paper addresses the issue of possibilities and conditions for an alternative science. Drawing from philosophical and STS literature the author inquires the (not) surprising convergences between critical STS literature and neo-liberal approaches, pointing to the concepts of materiality and materialism.