Critiques on ANT suggest that it is a poor source on which to draw from when looking for
psychological explanations. ANT does not uncover the origins of the interests of actors. It is
also ahistorical and does not take into account institutionalised structures or the interpretive
schemes by which actors make sense of the phenomenon. For example, many of the actors
in the case can be seen to be influenced by a rational discourse. They hold a rational view
of the problem and therefore seek a rational solution, and argue: ‘ To attain better insight in
costs and benefits of IT, we have to develop a technique that shows us these things ’ . This
shapes the way they interpret events (e.g. seeing evaluation results as having low quality)
and the way they act (e.g. sharpen the tools). Understanding it would involve analyzing
the rational discourse, the norms and values within the organisation of IIC (and society as
a whole) and possibly applying some theories of psychology to explain the behaviour of
the individuals involved; just as a theory of biology would be required to understand the
behaviour of the scallops in the classic ANT study of their domestication ( Callon, 1986a );
and further enquiry would be needed to see if the interest of slowing-down motorists
comes from a respect for law and life (following traffic signs and warnings) or from selfishness
(avoiding car damage by the speed bump), an example given by Latour (1999b) .