The enigmatic frog and exploratory experiments

from Galvani’s early studies to his theory of animal electricity

Abstract

Luigi Galvani’s electrical researches, which culminated in the formulation of the animal electricity theory and then gave rise to one of the most emblematic controversies in the history of science, between Galvani and Alessandro Volta, show a fruitful relationship between hypotheses and experiments. This article seeks to contextualize Galvani’s initial studies by linking his experiments with the Baconian idea of experientia literata and, above all, with the conception of exploratory experimentation from Friedrich Steinle’s perspective. In the end, it presents some implications of this historical-philosophical rescue for an education about science.