Gaston Bachelard (; ; 27 June 1884 – 16 October 1962) was a
French philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
.
He made contributions in the fields of
poetics
Poetics is the theory of structure, form, and discourse within literature, and, in particular, within poetry.
History
The term ''poetics'' derives from the Ancient Greek ποιητικός ''poietikos'' "pertaining to poetry"; also "creative" an ...
and the
philosophy of science
Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ult ...
. To the latter, he introduced the concepts of ''epistemological obstacle'' and ''
epistemological break'' (''obstacle épistémologique'' and ''rupture épistémologique''). He influenced many subsequent French philosophers, among them
Michel Foucault
Paul-Michel Foucault (, ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationship between power and knowledge, and how ...
,
Louis Althusser,
Dominique Lecourt
Dominique Lecourt (; 5 February 1944 – 1 May 2022) was a French philosopher. He is known in the Anglophone world primarily for his work developing a materialist interpretation of the philosophy of science of Gaston Bachelard.
Biography
Leco ...
and
Jacques Derrida, as well as the sociologists
Pierre Bourdieu
Pierre Bourdieu (; 1 August 1930 – 23 January 2002) was a French sociologist and public intellectual. Bourdieu's contributions to the sociology of education, the theory of sociology, and sociology of aesthetics have achieved wide influence ...
and
Bruno Latour
Bruno Latour (; 22 June 1947 – 9 October 2022) was a French philosopher, anthropologist and sociologist.Wheeler, Will. ''Bruno Latour: Documenting Human and Nonhuman Associations'' Critical Theory for Library and Information Science. Libraries ...
.
For Bachelard, the
scientific object should be constructed and therefore different from the
positivist sciences; in other words,
information
Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random ...
is in continuous construction.
Empiricism
In philosophy, empiricism is an epistemological theory that holds that knowledge or justification comes only or primarily from sensory experience. It is one of several views within epistemology, along with rationalism and skepticism. Empir ...
and
rationalism
In philosophy, rationalism is the epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification".Lacey, A.R. (1996), ''A Dictionary of Philosophy' ...
are not regarded as
dualism or opposition but complementary, therefore studies of
a priori
("from the earlier") and ("from the later") are Latin phrases used in philosophy to distinguish types of knowledge, justification, or argument by their reliance on empirical evidence or experience. knowledge is independent from current ...
and
a posteriori, or in other words
reason
Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...
and
dialectic
Dialectic ( grc-gre, διαλεκτική, ''dialektikḗ''; related to dialogue; german: Dialektik), also known as the dialectical method, is a discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing ...
, are part of
scientific research.
Life and work
![Bar sur Aube Gaston Bachelard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Bar_sur_Aube_Gaston_Bachelard.JPG)
Bachelard was a
postal clerk
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional servi ...
in
Bar-sur-Aube
Bar-sur-Aube (, literally ''Bar on Aube'') is a commune and a sub-prefecture in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of France.
Surrounded by hills and Champagne vineyards, the city is traversed by the river Aube, from which it derive ...
, and then studied
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
and
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
before finally becoming interested in
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
. To obtain his doctorate (''
doctorat ès lettres
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
'') in 1927, he wrote two theses: the main one, ''Essai sur la connaissance approchée'', under the direction of
Abel Rey
Abel Rey (; 29 December 1873, Chalon-sur-Saône – 13 January 1940, Paris) was a French philosophy of science, philosopher and history of science, historian of science.
Abel Rey succeeded Gaston Milhaud as professor of the history of philosophy i ...
, and the complementary one, ''Étude sur l'évolution d'un problème de physique : la propagation thermique dans les solides'', supervised by
Léon Brunschvicg
Léon Brunschvicg (; 10 November 1869 – 18 January 1944) was a French Idealist philosopher. He co-founded the ''Revue de métaphysique et de morale'' with Xavier Leon and Élie Halévy in 1893.
Life
He was born into a Jewish family.
From ...
.
He first taught from 1902 to 1903 at the college of
Sézanne
Sézanne () is a commune in the Marne department and Grand Est region in north-eastern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions an ...
, but turned away from teaching to consider a career in
telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
. Literary by training, he took the technological path before moving towards science and
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
. In particular, he was fascinated by the great discoveries of the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century (
radioactivity,
quantum and
wave mechanics Wave mechanics may refer to:
* the mechanics of waves
* the ''wave equation'' in quantum physics, see Schrödinger equation
See also
* Quantum mechanics
* Wave equation
The (two-way) wave equation is a second-order linear partial different ...
,
relativity,
electromagnetism
In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of ...
and
wireless telegraphy
Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimental technologies for ...
).
He was a professor at the
University of Dijon
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
from 1930 to 1940 and then was appointed chair in the
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
and
philosophy of science
Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ult ...
at the
University of Paris
, image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of Arms
, latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis
, motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin)
, mottoeng = Here and a ...
. In 1958, he became a member of the
Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium
The Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique, sometimes referred to as ') is the independent learned society of science and arts of the French Comm ...
.
Bachelard's psychology of science
Bachelard's studies of the history and philosophy of science in such works as ''Le nouvel esprit scientifique'' ("The New Scientific Spirit", 1934) and ''La formation de l'esprit scientifique'' ("The Formation of the Scientific Mind", 1938) were based on his vision of historical
epistemology
Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics.
Episte ...
as a kind of
psychoanalysis
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...
of the scientific mind.
In the
English-speaking world
Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest languag ...
, the connection Bachelard made between
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
and the history of science has been little understood. Bachelard demonstrated how the progress of science could be blocked by certain types of mental patterns, creating the concept of ''obstacle épistémologique'' ("epistemological obstacle"). One task of epistemology is to make clear the mental patterns at use in science, in order to help scientists overcome the obstacles to knowledge. Another goal is to “give back to human reason its function of agitation and aggressiveness” as Bachelard put it in ‘L'engagement rationaliste’ (1972).
Epistemological breaks: the discontinuity of scientific progress
Bachelard was critical of
Auguste Comte
Isidore Marie Auguste François Xavier Comte (; 19 January 1798 – 5 September 1857) was a French philosopher and writer who formulated the doctrine of positivism. He is often regarded as the first philosopher of science in the modern sense ...
's
positivism, which considered science as a continual
progress
Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension w ...
. To Bachelard, scientific developments such as Einstein's
theory of relativity
The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity, proposed and published in 1905 and 1915, respectively. Special relativity applies to all physical phenomena in ...
demonstrated the discontinuous nature of the
history of sciences. Thus models that framed scientific development as continuous, such as that of Comte and
Émile Meyerson
Émile Meyerson (; 12 February 1859 – 2 December 1933) was a Polish-born French epistemologist, chemist, and philosopher of science. Meyerson was born in Lublin, Poland. He died in his sleep of a heart attack at the age of 74.
Biography
Meyerso ...
, seemed simplistic and erroneous to Bachelard.
Through his concept of "epistemological break", Bachelard underlined the discontinuity at work in the history of sciences. However the term "epistemological break" itself is almost never used by Bachelard but became famous through
Louis Althusser.
He showed that new theories integrated old theories in new
paradigms
In science and philosophy, a paradigm () is a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitute legitimate contributions to a field.
Etymology
''Paradigm'' comes f ...
, changing the sense of concepts (for instance, the concept of
mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
, used by
Newton and
Einstein in two different senses). Thus,
non-Euclidean geometry
In mathematics, non-Euclidean geometry consists of two geometries based on axioms closely related to those that specify Euclidean geometry. As Euclidean geometry lies at the intersection of metric geometry and affine geometry, non-Euclidean g ...
did not contradict
Euclidean geometry
Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to ancient Greek mathematics, Greek mathematician Euclid, which he described in his textbook on geometry: the ''Euclid's Elements, Elements''. Euclid's approach consists in assuming a small ...
, but integrated it into a larger framework.
Teacher and philosopher
Discharged in March 1919 and unemployed, Bachelard searched and obtained a job in October as a professor of
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
and
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
at the college of
Bar-sur-Aube
Bar-sur-Aube (, literally ''Bar on Aube'') is a commune and a sub-prefecture in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of France.
Surrounded by hills and Champagne vineyards, the city is traversed by the river Aube, from which it derive ...
. His wife, Jeanne Rossi, a schoolteacher he had married in 1914, was transferred to
Voigny
Voigny () is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Aube department
The following is a list of the 431 communes of the Aube department of France.
The communes cooperate in the foll ...
. His daughter Suzanne was born on 18 October. He travelled the six kilometers to Bar-sur-Aube on foot every day, was provided a very useful education, and enrolled for a
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
degree. Jeanne died in June 1920, and Bachelard raised his daughter alone.
At the age of thirty-six he began a completely unexpected philosophical career. Starting decisively in 1922, he acquired the title of
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...
at the
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
in 1927. His theses, supported by
Abel Rey
Abel Rey (; 29 December 1873, Chalon-sur-Saône – 13 January 1940, Paris) was a French philosophy of science, philosopher and history of science, historian of science.
Abel Rey succeeded Gaston Milhaud as professor of the history of philosophy i ...
and
Léon Brunschvicg
Léon Brunschvicg (; 10 November 1869 – 18 January 1944) was a French Idealist philosopher. He co-founded the ''Revue de métaphysique et de morale'' with Xavier Leon and Élie Halévy in 1893.
Life
He was born into a Jewish family.
From ...
, were published. He became a
lecturer at the Faculty of Letters of
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
from October 1927, but remained at the college of Bar-sur-Aube until 1930. He even participated in the municipal elections of 1929 to defend the project of a college for all. He nevertheless accepted a professorship at the
University of Burgundy
The University of Burgundy (french: Université de Bourgogne, uB; formerly known as ''Université de Dijon'') is a public university located in Dijon, France.
The University of Burgundy is situated on a large campus (more than 150 ha) in the east ...
when his daughter Suzanne entered the second degree.
He did the same when he was appointed to the
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
as a university professor and director of the Institute for the History of Science and Technology in 1940, accompanying his daughter in her higher educations.
On 25 August 1937 he was made a Knight of the
Legion of Honor. He became a professor at the Sorbonne from 1940 to 1954. He held the chair of the history and philosophy of science, where he succeeded Abel Rey, director of the Institute of History and
Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ult ...
and Technology (IHST), which in 1992 became IHPST.
[
]
The role of epistemology in science
Bachelard was a rationalist in the Cartesian sense, although he recommended his "non-Cartesian epistemology" as a replacement for the more standard Cartesian epistemology. He compared "scientific knowledge" to ordinary knowledge in the way we deal with it, and saw error as only illusion: "Scientifically, one thinks truth as the historical rectification of a persistent error, and experiments as correctives for an initial, common illusion (''illusion première'')."
The role of epistemology
Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics.
Episte ...
is to show the history of the (scientific) production of concepts
Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs.
They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...
. Those concepts are not just theoretical propositions: they are simultaneously abstract and concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
, pervading technical and pedagogic
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...
al activity. This explains why "The electric bulb is an object of scientific thought… an example of an abstract-concrete object." To understand the way it works, one has to take the detour of scientific knowledge. Epistemology is thus not a general philosophy that aims at justifying scientific reasoning. Instead, it produces regional histories of science.
Shifts in scientific perspective
Bachelard never saw how seemingly irrational theories often simply represented a drastic shift in scientific perspective. For instance, he never claimed that the theory of probabilities was just another way of complexifying reality through a deepening of rationality (even though critics like Lord Kelvin
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, (26 June 182417 December 1907) was a British mathematician, mathematical physicist and engineer born in Belfast. Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow for 53 years, he did important ...
found this theory irrational).
One of his main theses in ''The New Scientific Mind'' was that modern sciences had replaced the classical ontology
In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality.
Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exis ...
of the substance with an "ontology of relations", which could be assimilated to something like a process philosophy
Process philosophy, also ontology of becoming, or processism, is an approach to philosophy that identifies processes, changes, or shifting relationships as the only true elements of the ordinary, everyday real world. In opposition to the classic ...
. For instance, the physical concepts of matter and rays correspond, according to him, to the metaphysical concepts of the thing and of movement; but whereas classical philosophy considered both as distinct, and the thing as ontologically
In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality.
Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exis ...
real, modern science can not distinguish matter from rays. It is thus impossible to examine an immobile thing, which was precisely the condition for knowledge according to the classical theory of knowledge
Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics.
Ep ...
(Becoming being impossible to be known, in accordance with Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
and Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
's theories of knowledge).
In non-Cartesian epistemology, there is no "simple substance" as in Cartesianism
Cartesianism is the philosophical and scientific system of René Descartes and its subsequent development by other seventeenth century thinkers, most notably François Poullain de la Barre, Nicolas Malebranche and Baruch Spinoza. Descartes is o ...
, but only complex objects built by theories and experiments and continuously improved (VI, 4). Intuition
Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning. Different fields use the word "intuition" in very different ways, including but not limited to: direct access to unconscious knowledge; unconscious cognition; ...
is therefore not primitive, but built (VI, 2). These themes led Bachelard to support a sort of constructivist epistemology.
Other academic interests
In addition to epistemology, Bachelard's work deals with many other topics, including poetry, dreams, psychoanalysis
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...
, and the imagination
Imagination is the production or simulation of novel objects, sensations, and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. Stefan Szczelkun characterises it as the forming of experiences in one's mind, which can be re-creations ...
. ''The Psychoanalysis of Fire'' (1938) and ''The Poetics of Space
''The Poetics of Space'' (french: La Poétique de l'Espace) is a 1958 book about architecture by the French philosopher Gaston Bachelard. The book is considered an important work about art. Commentators have compared Bachelard's views to those of ...
'' (1958) are among the most popular of his works: Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and lit ...
cites the former and Bachelard's ''Water and Dreams'' in his ''Being and Nothingness
''Being and Nothingness: An Essay on Phenomenological Ontology'' (french: L'Être et le néant : Essai d'ontologie phénoménologique), sometimes published with the subtitle ''A Phenomenological Essay on Ontology'', is a 1943 book by the philosoph ...
'' (1943), and the latter had a wide reception in architectural theory circles, and continues to be influential in literary theory and creative writing. In philosophy, this nocturnal side of his work is developed by his student Gilbert Durand
Gilbert Durand (1 May 1921 – 7 December 2012) was a French academic known for his work on the imaginary, symbolic anthropology and mythology.
According to Durand, Imagination and Reason can be complementary. He defended the status of the imag ...
.
Philosopher and citizen
Feminist philosopher
It should be noted, in his singular career, the concern which he had to ensure the development of his daughter, so much the time was marked by the cleavage of the sexes and the functions. Going against sexist stereotypes, he wanted to make his daughter a scholar. Suzanne would be a mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
and philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
and would be able to develop phenomenological and epistemological research of high standing.Gaston Bachelard: biography, activities, main ideas
public-welfare.com
Bibliography
His works include:
* ''Essai sur la connaissance approchée'' (1928)
* ''Étude sur l'évolution d'un problème de physique: la propagation thermique dans les solides'' (1928)
* ''La valeur inductive de la relativité'' (1929)
* ''La pluralisme cohérent de la chimie moderne'' (1932)
* ''L'Intuition de l'instant'' (1932)
* ''Les intuitions atomistiques: essai de classification'' (1933)
* ''Le nouvel esprit scientifique'' (1934)
* ''La dialectique de la durée'' (1936)
* ''L'expérience de l'espace dans la physique contemporaine'' (1937)
* ''La formation de l'esprit scientifique: contribution à une psychanalyse de la connaissance objective'' (1938)
* ''La psychanalyse du feu'' (1938) (''The Psychoanalysis of Fire'', 1964)
* ''La philosophie du non: essai d'une philosophie du nouvel esprit scientifique'' (1940), publisher Pellicanolibri, 1978
* ''L'eau et les rêves'' (1942) (''Water and Dreams'', 1983)
* ''L'air et les songes'' (1943) (''Air and Dreams'', 1988)
* ''La terre et les rêveries de la volonté'' (1948) (''Earth and Reveries of Will'', 2002)
* ''La terre et les rêveries du repos'' (1948) (''Earth and Reveries of Repose'', 2011)
* ''Le Rationalisme appliqué'' (1949)
* ''L'activité rationaliste de la physique contemporaine'' (1951)
* ''Le matérialisme rationnel'' (1953)
* ''
La poétique de l'espace'' (1957) (''The Poetics of Space'', 1969 and 2014)
* ''La poétique de la rêverie'' (1960) (''The Poetics of Reverie: Childhood, Language, and the Cosmos'', 1969)
* ''La flamme d'une chandelle'' (1961)
* ''L'engagement rationaliste'' (1972)
English translations
Though most of Bachelard's major works on poetics have been translated into English, only about half of his works on the philosophy of science have been translated.
*''The Philosophy of No: A Philosophy of the New Scientific Mind.'' Orion Press, New York, 1968. Translation by G.C. Waterston. (''La philosophie du non'')
*''The New Scientific Spirit.'' Beacon Press, Boston, 1985. Translation by A. Goldhammer. (''Le nouvel esprit scientifique'')
*''Dialectic of Duration.'' Clinamen, Bolton, 2000. Translation by M. McAllester Jones. (''La dialectique de la durée'')
*''The Formation of the Scientific Mind.'' Clinamen, Bolton, 2002. Translation by M. McAllester Jones. (''La formation de l'esprit scientifique'')
* ''Intuition of the Instant. ''Northwestern University Press, 2013. Translation by Eileen Rizo-Patron (''L'intuition de l'instant'')
*''Atomistic Intuitions''. State University of New York Press, 2018. Translation by Roch C. Smith (''Intuitions atomistiques'')
See also
References
Sources
*
Dominique Lecourt
Dominique Lecourt (; 5 February 1944 – 1 May 2022) was a French philosopher. He is known in the Anglophone world primarily for his work developing a materialist interpretation of the philosophy of science of Gaston Bachelard.
Biography
Leco ...
, ''L’épistémologie historique de Gaston Bachelard'' (1969). Vrin, Paris, 11e édition augmentée, 2002.
* Dominique Lecourt, ''Pour une critique de l’épistémologie : Bachelard, Canguilhem, Foucault'' (1972, réed. Maspero, Paris, 5e éd. 1980).
* D. Lecourt, ''Marxism and Epistemology: Bachelard, Canguilhem and Foucault'', New Left Books, London (1975).
* Dominique Lecourt, ''Bachelard, Epistémologie, textes choisis'' (1971). PUF, Paris, 6e édition, 1996.
* Dominique Lecourt, ''Bachelard, le jour et la nuit'', Grasset, Paris, 1974.
* Didier Gil, ''Bachelard et la culture scientifique'', Presses Universitaires de France, 1993.
* Didier Gil, ''Autour de Bachelard – esprit et matière, un siècle français de philosophie des sciences (1867–1962)'', Les Belles Lettres, Encre marine, 2010.
*''Hommage à Gaston Bachelard. Etudes de philosophie et d'histoire des sciences'', by C. Bouligand,
G. Canguilhem, P. Costabel, F. Courtes,
François Dagognet, M. Daumas, Gilles Granger,
J. Hyppolite, R. Martin, R. Poirier and R. Taton
*
Actes du Colloque sur Bachelard de 1970' (
Colloque de Cerisy
The Château de Cerisy-la-Salle, located in the French commune of Cerisy-la-Salle (in the Manche ''département'', region of Normandy), hosts the Centre culturel international de Cerisy-la-Salle (CCIC), a prestigious venue for intellectual and sch ...
).
*
L'imaginaire du concept: Bachelard, une épistémologie de la pureté' by
Françoise Gaillard, MLN, Vol. 101, No. 4, French Issue (Sep 1986), pp. 895–911.
*''Gaston Bachelard ou le rêve des origines'', by Jean-Luc Pouliquen, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2007.
Further reading
*
*
*McAllester Jones, ''Gaston Bachelard Subversive Humanist: Texts and Readings,'' University of Wisconsin Press, 1991.
*Eileen Rizo-Patron, Edward S. Casey, and Jason Wirth, eds. ''Adventures in Phenomenology, Gaston Bachelard'', State University of New York Press, 2017
*Roch C. Smith, ''Gaston Bachelard, Philosopher of Science and Imagination'', State University of New York Press, 2016
*Mary Tiles, ''Bachelard: Science and Objectivity'', Cambridge University Press, 1984
External links
Website of the Association of Friends of Gaston BachelardCentre Gaston Bachelard de Recherche sur l'Imaginaire et la Rationalité Université de Bourgogne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bachelard, Gaston
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1962 deaths
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