바슐라르의 상상력 이론과 창의력의 철학적 기초

Abstract

This paper explores in depth Gaston Bachelard's theory of imagination so as to establish the philosophical bases of creativity. While he had begun his studies on imagination to eliminate unreliable subjectivity hampering objectivity of philosophy of science, he was fascinated to become a philosopher of imagination by its unlimited power. Since his theory of imagination marked a prominent spot in the history of Western idea, this paper will seek its significant implications that will also shed light on the philosophical grounds of creativity. The best way to approach his theory is to differentiate whether imagination is the power of forming images or that of transforming them. If not misguided by surface simplicity of the aforementioned differentiation, it will be revealed that it has accrued strata in the history of Western idea. The power of forming images is related to theory of mimesis or of representation, and to ocularcentric and logocentric structures. Bachelard strongly opposes to the theory of imagination as power of forming images, since, if it is so, its expansion and development are not possible. He thereby constructs the theory of imagination as power of transforming images. The force of movement lies at the core of his theory. Imagination as an ability to intuit movement is directly related to the problem of change in the history of Western idea. If an entity is incessantly changes itself, it becomes a crucial role of imagination to capture the force per se in the perpetual movement without distortedly and abruptly fixing it at a still point of time and space. Bachelard criticizes such a method that makes movement a controllable entity consisting of partitioned moments of space; instead, he constructs theory of imagination that reveals the true power of indispensable movement. Furthermore, it will be revealed that Bachelard's theory has more affinities with Kantian imagination and reflective judgement of aesthetics than the past researches on Bachelard showed. This paper, by means of the above investigation, will transcend the superficiality of defining what are Bachelard's formal, material, and dynamic imaginations; simultaneously, it will bear philosophical conditions of possibility that makes us experience imagination fully. These conditions also become the philosophical foundations of creativity. It will draw to a provisional close its imaginative journey of everlasting movement by making ontological and ethical dimensions of imagination and creativity.