Abstract

This article provides an overview of the historical and philosophical contexts from which G. Bachelard’s concept of “phenomenotechnique” originated. It shows why phenomenotechnique is crucial for science studies. By incorporating the concept of phenomenotechnique into Hacking’s and Galison’s models of science, I argue that we can avoid the radicalism of both while preventing the analysis of scientific practices from collapsing into the interpretive frames mandated by social constructivists.