Aramis: Or the Love of Technology
by Bruno Latour and Catherine Porter

Originally published as 'Aramis, ou l'amour des techniques', by Editions La Découverte, Paris, 1993.

Frankenstein's monster was born of human endeavor and nineteenth-century counterpart, Aramis, suffered a similar fate but provided many lessons during its twenty-four years of plans and prototypes. A guided-transportation system intended for Paris, Aramis represented a major advance in personal rapid transit: it combined the efficiency of subway with the flexibility of an automobile. But in the end, its electronic couplings proved too complex and expensive, the political will failed, and the project died in 1987. Latour has written a unique and wonderful tale of a technological dream gone wrong. The reader eventually comes to see the project from Aramis' point of view, and along the way gains insight into the relationship between humans and their technological creations.