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Modern European Philosophy
Bergson: Thinking Backwards
This is a book about the philosophy of Henri Bergson (1859-1941) that shows how relevant Bergson is to much of contemporary philosophy. The book takes as its point of departure Bergson's insistence on precision in philosophy. It then discusses a variety of topics including laughter, the nature of time as experienced, how intelligence and language should be construed as a pragmatic product of evolution, and the antimonies of reason represented by magic and religion. Written in a terse and clear style, this book will prove appealing to teachers and students of philosophy, cognitive science, psychology, religious studies and literature.
- GenresPhilosophy
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
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June 14, 2024
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240129: possibly my least favorite book on bergson. possibly because it seems to be not very sophisticated 'bergson for analytic philosophers' and in this way follows mostly analytic tradition, with many names of philosophers I have heard of but barely if at all read (quine, strawson, dummett, Russell) and close to no continental philosophers of which I am most familiar (Sartre, Heidegger, husserl) no ansell-pearson but then this pre-dates his work...
some extended translation arguments (durance rather than duration for 'duree'), some good arguments, some mistaken, but the only point that really bothers me is when he talks of time 'unfolding' which is the absolute opposite conception of time as novel, as always new, and not viewed from putative future 'resolution looking backwards'. which is what I get from all the books read by and on bergson... eg Bergson’s Philosophy of Self-Overcoming: Thinking without Negativity or Time as Striving
interesting argument for relevance of Laughter. have to read again... other fav: Updating Bergson: A Philosophy of the Enduring Present
the author contends this is 'pragmatic only' as if there is difference and demarcation, for one of the first things I learn is that life, mind, action, are all united in purpose- the mind is not merely isolate, surveying, detached, but such is the deliberate effort of thinking, as in Bergson: Thinking Beyond the Human Condition
240129: possibly my least favorite book on bergson. possibly because it seems to be not very sophisticated 'bergson for analytic philosophers' and in this way follows mostly analytic tradition, with many names of philosophers I have heard of but barely if at all read (quine, strawson, dummett, Russell) and close to no continental philosophers of which I am most familiar (Sartre, Heidegger, husserl) no ansell-pearson but then this pre-dates his work...
some extended translation arguments (durance rather than duration for 'duree'), some good arguments, some mistaken, but the only point that really bothers me is when he talks of time 'unfolding' which is the absolute opposite conception of time as novel, as always new, and not viewed from putative future 'resolution looking backwards'. which is what I get from all the books read by and on bergson... eg Bergson’s Philosophy of Self-Overcoming: Thinking without Negativity or Time as Striving
interesting argument for relevance of Laughter. have to read again... other fav: Updating Bergson: A Philosophy of the Enduring Present
the author contends this is 'pragmatic only' as if there is difference and demarcation, for one of the first things I learn is that life, mind, action, are all united in purpose- the mind is not merely isolate, surveying, detached, but such is the deliberate effort of thinking, as in Bergson: Thinking Beyond the Human Condition
Displaying 1 of 1 review