Bergson

Great Thinkers

by Michael Foley

Henri Bergson was a French professor and philosopher. Born in Paris in 1859 to a Polish composer and Yorkshire woman of Irish descent, his revelatory ideas of life as ceaseless transformation and the importance of attention, learning, humor and joy brought him incredible fame and media celebrity.Here you will find insights from his greatest works.The Life Lessons series from The School of Life takes a great thinker and highlights those ideas most relevant to ordinary everyday dilemmas. These books emphasize ways in which wise voices from the past have urgently important and inspiring things to tell us.

124 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2015

About the author

Originally from Killavullen, Co Cork, Michael Foley has written Kings of September, winner of the 2007 BoyleSports Irish Sportsbook of the year. He also ghostwrote Harte: Presence Is the Only Thing, the autobiography of Tyrone gaelic football manager Mickey Harte, shortlisted for the 2009 William Hill Irish Sportsbook of the Year.

Winner of the GAA’s McNamee Award in 2008 and shortlisted for Sports Journalist of the Year in 2003, he is acting sports editor and GAA correspondent for the Irish edition of the Sunday Times. This is his third book. He currently resides in Macroom, Co Cork.

Reviews

[Yohanes Saputra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an effort not only to show the theory of Henri Bergson but to incorporate his theory to be used for our lives, and maybe the author has done a good job of that. In its philosophy of process, the favor of the dynamic, changing and moving, we could take it to see life in a new perspective, to choose the unexpected and the uncertain.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the major themes of Bergson's work with a minor emphasis on William James. Enjoyable, easily digested, and mentally stimulating. Highly recommended.

[Luz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy-to-read and entertaining introduction to Henri Bergson. The author selects his quotations well, and usefully juxtaposes quotes from Bergson next to the like-minded William James.

[Michael Baranowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of a movie-trailer version of Bergson. It's light, moves quickly, and the author seems almost more interested in William James than he is in Henri Bergson (which is fine by me - I'm a fan of James, and seeing the connections between James and Bergson was useful to me). Not bad if you find Wikipedia too shallow and dull, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy too long and dull. It helped me decide to get a copy of Bergson's actual work, which I'm looking forward to reading.

[John Kissell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compact yet thoroughly charming discussion of Bergson and William James (they were correspondents and mutual admirers) …. There is much to discuss and think about (I almost wrote “process” but that would be a misuse in this context) …

[Kyle Maverick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeing a lot of William James with Bergson was a great experience for me. These guys are awesome and I like the parallels author made.