3/24/2014

Gaston Bachelard - French Philosopher - Biography

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GASTON BACHELARD - BIOGRAPHY

GastonBachelard,Ph.D.,wasaFrenchPhilosopher.HewasbornonJune27, 1884anddiedonOctober16,1962.Hewouldtakeashisobjectsofstudy scienceandpoetry.BachelardwasborninthetownofBarsurAubeinthe ChampagneregioninnortheasternFranceonJune27th1884,inafamilyof artisanshoemakers.OnJuly8th1914hewouldmarryJeanneRossiayoung teacher.SadlyonJune20th1920hewouldbecomeawidowwithayounglittle girlnamedSuzanne.Afteraninnovativepath,in1951hewouldreceivethe prestigiousFrenchLegionofHonorprize. GastonBachelardwouldhaveacareerquiteoutoftheordinary.Hewouldfirst beapostalworker,butwouldeventuallygetaBAinScienceandwould subsequentlybecomeprofessorofphysicsatchemistryinhisnativetown.By 1922hehadchangedhisfocusandwouldgethisagrgationinphilosophy (FrenchUniversityhighlevelcompetitiveexaminationfortherecruitmentof professorsandoftenthegatewaytoPhDstudies).OnMay23rd1927hewould gethisdoctoratewithadissertationunderFrenchphilosopherandhistorianof scienceAbelRay(18731940)andtheidealistphilosopherLonBrunschvicg (18691944),whichwasentitledEssaisurlaconnaissanceapproche(canbe translatedas:EssayOnCloseknowledge).Afterthishewouldteach philosophyattheUniversityinDijonbeforebecomingaprofessoratthe prestigiousSorbonneUniversityinParisin1954.EvenifGastonBachelard wouldbecomeanepistemologist,whichhewouldquestionthemethodsand foundations,healsowouldpaycloseattentiontothefieldofpoetryandthe notionoftheimaginaryinparticular,managingtolinkthetwoinproductiveways. Asarenownedepistemologist,hewouldbetheauthorofreflectionson knowledgeandscientificresearch.Hewouldinventwhathereferredtoasthe psychoanalysisofobjectiveknowledge,whichwouldbeinspiredbytheworks ofCarlJung(18751961).AsdefinedbyGastonBachelard,thepsychoanalysis ofobjectiveknowledgewouldstudytheemotionalobstaclesinthemental universeofboththescientistandthestudent.Theseobstacleswouldbe describedasbarriersthatimpedeprogressinthestudyandknowledgeofany givenphenomena.InhisbookLaphilosophiedunon:Essaidunephilosophie dunouvelespritscientifique(ThePhilosophyofNo:APhilosophyoftheNew ScientificMind)hewouldanalyzeexamplesofthisfromlogic,physicsand chemistry. GastonBachelardwouldrenewthequestionofimaginationinboththe philosophicalandliteraryfields,researching,forexample,poetsandwriters suchasComtedeLautramont(18461870),EdgarPoe(18091849),and Novalis(17721801),butalsolookingintosuchapparentlydisparatefieldsas symbolismandchemistry.ItisinthiswaythatGastonBachelardwillinterrogate therelationshipbetweenliteratureandscience,orthatistosayputanotherway, therelationshipbetweenimaginationandrationality. AccordingtoGastonBachelard,thetwoextremitiescanbebotheitherinconflict orinfactcomplementary.ForGastonBachelard,astrongsymbolicallyor emotionallychargedimagecouldcauseillusionsinthemindofthescientist.The imageoffirecouldclogtheknowledgeofelectricity.Thissameimagewill produceunexpectedeffectsinliteraturethatwillbepoeticallyloaded.Thepower offascinationoftheimageoffirewouldbeveryimportantashewouldpointout inNovalisbutalsoinFriedrichHlderlin(17701843).Poeticdreamsclosely sympathizewiththereal,whilethescientificapproachontheotherhandis unsympathetic:itdistancesitselffromtheemotionalreality.Nevertheless imaginationcanhelpinthebuildingofscientificmodels. GastonBachelardwouldborrowImmanuelKants(17241804)ideathattheory
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GastonBachelard

GastonBachelard,wasa FrenchPhilosopher.(June 27,1884October16,1962)

3/24/2014

Gaston Bachelard - French Philosopher - Biography

ispriortoexperience.Indeedinthiswayobjectiveknowledgeisthusaprocess ofrationalizationofsensoryexperience.GastonBachelardwouldcriticizethea priorianduniversallyvalidcharacteristicthatImmanuelKantassignsto categories.Instead,accordingtoGastonBachelardtheoriesaretentativein nature,infacttheyaremostlywrongandscienceitselfadvancesonlyby correctingitselfallthetime.Indeed,buildingonthisinsightGastonBachelard wouldalsoborrowfromGeorgWilhelmFriedrichHegel(17701831)theidea thatrationalityisessentiallydialectic.Scientificknowledge,therefore,isa constantbackandforthbetweenreasonandexperience,andreasonitself correctsitself,itdoesnotproducestatictheoriesbutevolvingones. GastonBachelardthusproposesacomplexandsubtledefinitionofrationality. Hewould,however,criticizetheclosednatureofHegeliandialectic,which accordingtoGastonBachelardclosesonitselftoformacompletedsystem.By contrast,hewillseektocreateakindofreasonthatisopenandwhichthus reformsitselfconstantly,andthusmakinghumanknowledgeadvancewithout anypredefinedlimits. Additionally,hewouldinitiallybeinspiredbyAugusteComtes(17981857) positivismbutwouldeventuallybecomecriticalofitandcomeupwitha modernist,methodical,andhistoricalapproachtoscience,whichshowed epistemologicalbreaks,orthediscontinuousnatureofscientificprogress.For instance,hewouldreplaceAugusteComteslawofthreestages,whichtook scienceascontinualprogress,withhisownviewofthescientificprocess,whose mainstagesarethenaiverealism,rationalism,anddialecticalrationalism, whichallowedforepistemologicalbreaks. GastonBachelardwouldcometoopposeHenriBergsonsconceptionoftime andoftherealinLintuitiondelinstant(1932,MomentofIntuition)aswellas inLaDialectiquedeladure(1936,DialecticofDuration).Hewouldverymuch beinfluencedbytheBergsonianphilosophyofmobility,asiseverywhere explicitlypresentinBachelardsLAiretlessonges(1943AirandDreams:An EssayontheImaginationofMovement).Amongsthiscontemporaries, BachelardsphilosophyofsciencewouldbeclosetothatoftheSwiss philosopherFerdinandGonseth(18901975)andtheFrancoRussian philosopherAlexandreKoyr(18921964). GastonBachelardwouldalsoreinterpretSigmundFreuds(18561939) psychoanalyticconceptssuchastheunconscious,censorship,dreamsand libido.Hewouldusesuchnewinterpretationsbothinhisepistemology,whichhe hadconceivedaswesawasapsychoanalysisofreason,andinhispoetic analyses,whichhehadinturnintendedasapsychoanalysisoftheimagination. CarlJungsnotionofarchetype,whichinJungiansymbolpsychologyisa primitivementalimageinheritedfromearlyhumanancestorsandsupposedto bepresentinthecollectiveunconscious,wouldinspireGastonBachelard.This togetherwithhisreadingofsurrealistswouldleadhimtounderstandthe imaginary,notperception,astheoriginofpsychiclife. ThephilosopherPierreJacobinterestinglyassessesGastonBachelardslegacy intermsoffourepistemologicaltheses.First,thatscientifictoolsareinfact materializedtheories,whatBachelardfamouslycalledphenomenotechnique, andthatthereforeanytheoryisapracticetoo.Second,thatanyepistemological studymustbehistorical.Third,thereisadoublediscontinuitybetweenonthe onehandcommonsenseandscientifictheories,andontheotherhandamongst scientifictheoriesthemselvesthatdialecticallyevolveinthecourseofhistory. Thisistheimportantnotionofepistemologicalbreak,whichwouldlaterbe developedandmadeevenmorefamousbytheFrenchphilosopherLouis Althusser(19181990).Finallyfourth,notraditionalphilosophytakenontheir own,notempiricism,neitherrationalismnormaterialismoridealism,can adequatelydescribethetheoriesofmodernphysics.Thisishisphilosophyof no. In1934hewouldwritearguablyhismostimportantwork,Lenouvelesprit scientifique(TheNewScientificSpirit).ThereGastonBachelardmanagesto transcendthetraditionaldividebetweenempiricismandrationalism.Hewould dothisbyessentiallybringingthemtogetherinsituatingrationalmaterialismat thecentreofhisepistemologicalspectrumwhosetwoendswouldbedescribed asconstitutedbyidealismandmaterialism.GastonBachelardwillshowhereas elsewherethesystemizingtendencyofanyrationalthought.Accordingtohim, whenconfrontedwiththeinfinitewealthofexperienceandnovelty,allsystems aredoomedtofailure.Hewillthusproposetointroducerelativityinscientific truth.
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