[The new history of science: an interview with Dominique Pestre]

Originally a physicist, Dominique Pestre is now a leading historian of science, particularly in the realm of the transformations that have marked the history of science and technology in recent decades. In this interview, he offers some of his thoughts on the role of science and knowledge in our contemporary world. He underscores the deep bonds between scientific knowledge and political and economic power and makes clear society's participation in this production. Critical of the notion of progress, Pestre invites us to also take the prejudicial effects of science into account.