The path to objective study involves being subjective.
This is a perplexing irony, and it lies at the center of the existential/essential question. Basically, Latour presents the reader with a type of scientific inquiry where the subject in question is a complex person with a highly involved network of obligations that come from social pressures to identify in one way or the other. In other words, it's ironic that being objective about people means valuing their perhaps unfounded beliefs.
Desire is only a portion of human motivation.
Because of our moral and emotional capabilities, and the way those cause us to believe about ourselves, it is often the case that the reasons behind why someone does something in particular stem not from their own desires, but rather, the complex network of obligations. This is highly ironic, because many people assume that they are only motivated by their self, and not by social systems.
The irony of ontology.
The beautiful irony of the entire system of ontology is that it exists to help quantify what objectivity looks like, because it helps everyone agree on what exists. Ironically, though, since all we have to understand even the most objective of concepts using our subjective understandings and concepts.
Therefore, the entire process of determining truth is relative to the person's interpretation of the words and concepts involved. This irony has many, many permutations, and it lies at the core of what makes this theory so valuable.
People are behavioral animals, as well as thinking, emotional beings.
Our abilities to think and perceive cause an ironic twist in our self perception, according to Latour. Since we each prefer ourselves as rational, objective people, we're often blind to the various forces that effect us socially. These things are metaphysical, and largely revolve around social responsibilities, which we feel for biological, evolutionary reasons.
The reason we have community as an essential part of our self-perception is because we come from tribal animals, and we ourselves are tribal animals. This stands ironically against our own beliefs in individualized, ego-centric cultures.
The irony of belief.
Belief is a necessary component of ontology, since ontology seeks to differentiate which parts of our experiences are object, pertaining to real truth, and which ones are imposed. If a person believes something to be real, their psychology will treat is as true, so their experience will belong to a world where their beliefs are true.
Therefore, in order to study people's real emotional experiences ontological, beliefs must be allowed as well, even though belief allows someone to base their lives around principles that may not be universal, or frankly, even true. Ironically, our truth is the consequence of our beliefs.
