Everyone Is a Master of Suspicion Now: Arendt and Latour on Modern Truth, Conspiracy Theories, and Political Judgement

Abstract

Bruno Latour polemicized against critique’s supposed congruence with conspiracy thinking. Both treat reality as a mere front for the real forces behind it. Latour argues that ‘critique’ must break with these reductionist and foundationalist thinking practices. I argue with Arendt that Latour misses his mark: not ‘critique’, but the modern way of understanding reality as such is guilty of this reductionism. I claim that this calls for a shift of perspective to the problem of the atrophying of political judgement. Instead of being able to move within a historical space of ideas, we have all become alienated masters of suspicion.