Canales Jimena
Harvard University, USA.
Sci Context. 2011 Sep;24(3):329-59. doi: 10.1017/s0269889711000147.
In 1895 when the Lumière brothers unveiled their cinematographic camera, many scientists were elated. Scientists hoped that the machine would fulfill a desire that had driven research for nearly half a century: that of capturing the world in its own image. But their elation was surprisingly short-lived, and many researchers quickly distanced themselves from the new medium. The cinematographic camera was soon split into two machines, one for recording and one for projecting, enabling it to further escape from the laboratory. The philosopher Henri Bergson joined scientists, such as Etienne-Jules Marey, who found problems with the new cinematographic order. Those who had worked to make the dream come true found that their efforts had been subverted. This essay focuses on the desire to build a cinematographic camera, with the purpose of elucidating how dreams and reality mix in the development of science and technology. It is about desired machines and their often unexpected results. The interplay between what "is" (the technical), what "ought" (the ethical), and what "could" be (the fantastical) drives scientific research.
1895年，当卢米埃尔兄弟推出他们的电影摄影机时，许多科学家都兴高采烈。科学家们希望这台机器能够实现一个驱使研究工作近半个世纪的愿望：即以其自身的影像捕捉世界。但他们的喜悦出人意料地短暂，许多研究人员很快就与这种新媒介拉开了距离。电影摄影机很快就被分成了两台机器，一台用于录制，一台用于放映，这使得它能够进一步脱离实验室。哲学家亨利·柏格森与艾蒂安-朱尔斯·马雷等科学家一道，他们发现了这种新电影秩序存在的问题。那些努力让梦想成真的人发现他们的努力被颠覆了。本文聚焦于制造电影摄影机的愿望，旨在阐明梦想与现实在科技发展中是如何交织的。它关乎人们渴望的机器及其常常出人意料的结果。“是”（技术层面）、“应该”（伦理层面）和“可能”（幻想层面）之间的相互作用推动着科学研究。
