The object of this article is to outline the epistemology of Bernard, a leading nineteenth century physiologist, to show that his epistemological positions have been misconceived by previous interpreters and to argue the importance of his philosophical work, which has been underestimated. Bernard, it is argued, is significant because he was one of the first philosophers to break with classical philosophical theories of knowledge and to represent in philosophical concepts the process of production of knowledge in the sciences. This article concentrates on his concepts of scientific determinism and experiment which, it argues, are still relevant today and of particular importance to the social sciences. Finally, the limitations of Bernard's epistemology and the effects of conventional philosophy on the structure of his problematic are considered.
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Paul Hirst (1973) studied this question.