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Gaston Bashlard - Biography

Bashlar (1904-1984) is a prominent French physicist, philosopher, and popularizer of science whose research and thought has influenced many fields of knowledge, including physics, philosophy, the history of science, and methodology. In this biography, we look at the key moments of his life and scientific achievements, and the impact he had on modern thinking.

Gaston Bashlar was born on May 27, 1904 in the city of Chambery, France. His parents were educated and supported his interest in science and knowledge. He studied at the Lycée Charles-Albert in Paris, where he showed outstanding mathematical ability. Subsequently, he entered the Ecole Polytechnic, one of the most prestigious French technical schools, where he studied physics.

After graduation, Bashlar began to actively engage in scientific research in the field of physics. His work focused on the problems of quantum mechanics and statistical physics. In 1926, he published his doctoral dissertation on the problems of quantum statistics and the Bose-Einstein distribution.

An important moment in his scientific career was his collaboration with the legendary physicist Wolfgang Pauli. They worked to develop statistical mechanics and theory of electrons in metals. These studies formed the foundations of his future scientific career and philosophical beliefs.

In addition to his scientific achievements, Gaston Bashlar showed an interest in the philosophy of science. His work in this field has influenced the understanding of the methodology of scientific research and the structure of scientific theories. In 1938 he published his famous book "Philosophy of Science: Physics. Metaphysics. Epistemology, "in which he analyzed the interaction of science and philosophy.

In 1947, Bashlar published his book "Poetics of Space," in which he developed his philosophy of "new criticism" (not to be confused with the literary direction of "new criticism"). In this work, he argued that scientific theories and concepts about space and time are not absolute and should be considered as "symphonies." This concept influenced the philosophy of art and literature.