The Archaeological Model II: Beyond Continuity and Discontinuity

Abstract

Needless to say, the touchstone of respectability for any conceptualization of the history of science is its ability to capture phenomena of change. That is to say, the relative success of any proposal for how to write the history of science cannot but be measured in terms of its skill in distinguishing between phases of rapid and slow change, its ingenuity in dealing with continuity and discontinuity, and its ability to separate apparent or superficial changes and tendencies from deep-going and far-reaching ones. Therefore, only by reconstructing and discussing Foucault’s suggestions with respect to these topics can we put ourselves in a position where we can evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the whole archaeological edifice.