ABSTRACT
This handbook makes the case for the need for Science and Technology Studies (STS) to address and analyze problems of political economy. But just as science operates in a world of political and economic forces, so too does STS. The aim of this chapter is to consider some of the ways that the field of STS has itself been shaped by the larger political program of neoliberalism. Consequently, I would like to examine two important theorists of the role of critique in the study of science: Larry Lessig and Bruno Latour. I recognize that Lessig is not often portrayed as participating in the conversation within science studies; however, it is a little-appreciated fact that both were heavily influenced by neoliberal political thought, a fact which makes them more instructive to compare and contrast.
