Sakari Tamminen is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Social Sciences. His work delves into the intricate relationship between information technology and its profound impact on society and life itself. As a coauthor of "Recoding Life: Information and the Biopolitical" and coeditor of "Bio-Objects: Life in the Twenty-First Century," Tamminen explores the convergence of the digital realm and biological processes. His research illuminates the complex interplay of information, power, and existence in our contemporary age.
Drawing on cases from the world of ‘free software’, this book examines Rousseau’s conception of freedom and its significance in the modern world of science and technology, where so much of our experience and activity is enwrapped by algorithms, from our property to our food, bodies, brains and, by extension, our liberty.
Sakari Tamminen traces the ways in which the mandates of 1992's Convention on Biological Diversity-hailed as the key symbol of a common vision for saving Earth's biodiversity-contribute less to biodiversity conservation than to individual nations using genetic resources for economic and cultural gain.
Exploring the intersection of digital technology and life sciences, this book utilizes Foucault's concept of biopolitics to examine how life is transformed into a technological entity. The authors delve into political theories of sovereignty and the geopolitical implications of nature and society, highlighting the disruptive nature of life that challenges established norms. It offers valuable insights for scholars in science and technology studies, sociology, philosophy, and anthropology, focusing on the complexities and diversities within the life sciences.