Time, Science and the Critique of Technological Reason

This festschrift commemorates the legacy of UK-based Portuguese sociologist HermínioMartins (1934-2015). It introduces Martins' wide-ranging contributions to the social sciences,encompassing seminal works in the fields of philosophy and social theory, historical and politicalsociology, studies of science and technology, and Luso-Brazilian studies, among others. The bookfeatures an in-depth interview with Martins, short memoirs, and twelve chapters addressing topicsthat were central to his intellectual and political interests. Among those that stand out are hiscritique of Thomas Kuhn's theory of scientific revolutions, his work on the significance of time insocial theory and the interweaving of techno-scientific developments and socio-culturaltransformations, including the impact of communication and digital technologies, and of market-led eugenics. Other themes covered are Martins' work on patrimonialism and social development inPortugal and Brazil, and his analysis of the state of the social sciences in Portugal, whichreflects his highly critical appraisal of the ongoing marketization andneoliberalization of academic life and institutions worldwide.