The Bergsonian Heritage

Description

Henri-Louis Bergson, 1859 - 1941, was a French philosopher, influential especially in the first half of the 20th century and after WWII in continental philosophy. Bergson is known for his influential arguments that processes of immediate experience and intuition are more significant than abstract rationalism and science for understanding reality. He is also known for having engaged in a debate with Albert Einstein about the nature of time. Papers presented during the American and French Bergson Centennial celebrations [Oct. 16, 1959 and May 19, 1959]. The essays which form Part One of this book are a product of the Bergson Centennial, which took place October 16, 1959, on the campus of Hollins College. In addition to the desire to commemorate the life and works of one of this century's notable philosophers, it was the special concern of the Centennial to take a long retrospective glance at Henri Bergson, taking stock of the more enduring contributions made by him to present patterns of thought. Bergson was anything but a closet philosopher, and his philosophizing was destined to affect a broad range of human thought. The essays of this book reflect the extensive influence of Bergson not only in philosophy but as well in the rambling bailiwicks of theology and literature.