Challenging established concepts: Ampere and exploratory experimentation : Theoria experimentorum

Despite rich historical studies on experiment, a philosophical understanding of the epistemic function and relevance of various types of experiment is still missing. The first first part of this paper deals with Ampere's early research in electromagnetism, a period which hitherto has escaped notice. Focussing on research practice as contrasted to published accounts, I show that Ampere pursued a particular type of experimenting which I call exploratory. This led him to develop new basic concepts such as the notion of a current circuit. In the second part, I switch to general considerations on exploratory experimentation, its significance in concept formation, and the reasons why it escaped notice so long.