Gaston Bachelard's Philosophy of Imagination: An Introduction

Abstract

A PSYCHOLOGY, PHENOMENOLOGY AND ONTOLOGY OF CREATIVITYDEVELOPED BY THIS FRENCH EPISTEMOLOGIST AND HISTORIAN OFSCIENCE (1884-1962) ARE SYSTEMATICALLY DESCRIBED. STARTINGFROM ANALYSIS OF IMAGE NETWORKS IN LITERATURE, BACHELARDPRESENTS IMAGINATION AS AUTONOMOUS, A POWER OF HUMANTRANSCENDENCE, A FORCE PRECEDING PERCEPTION AND MEMORY. HEULTIMATELY SURPASSES PSYCHOLOGICAL REDUCTIONISM.IMAGINATION OF FORM IS INFERIOR TO IMAGINATION OF MATTER(DEPTH); YET THEY BOTH ARE SECONDARY TO DYNAMICIMAGINATION. BACHELARD'S FUNDAMENTAL METHOD IS APHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF IMAGES AS ORIGINS OFCONSCIOUSNESS; A PHENOMENOLOGY OF REVERIE AND WRITINGUNDERLIES HIS ONTOLOGY. REVERIE IS THE MODEL UPON WHICHIMAGINATIVE CONSCIOUSNESS IS JUDGED. MAN SHOULD EXTEND THEFREEDOM AND BEAUTY OF HIS INNER COSMOS TO ENHANCE RELATIONWITH THE WORLD.