Henri Bergson (1) - Introduction

Henri Bergson, late 19th – early 20th century French philosopher, authored an original philosophy that contains elements which would later get a fuller expression in both existentialism and phenomenology. He is most famous for his unique conception of time, which he called duration, a compelling interpretation of Darwin’s natural selection, and a method of thinking he called intuitionism. An immensely popular intellectual figure at the beginning of the 20th century, his star fell precipitously after WW2 under withering criticism from Bertrand Russell, and as a result of his (almost unanimously misunderstood, I believe) critique of Einstein’s relativity theory.

This video is an introduction to this great philosopher, whose legacy has, in my opinion, fallen victim to the hegemony of the materialistic, scientific mode of thought in which we live. I discuss how I plan to structure this series, briefly introduce the three must-read books if you want to understand Bergson, and outline a quick (highly abridged) bio.

[absurdbeing]

*Contents*
01:03 How this series will be structured
03:06 The books the series is based on
05:40 Brief (highly abridged) biography
16:36 Bergson’s philosophy

[LoveBabyNorbert]

Nathan, I've been making my way through your videos on Merleau-Ponty and am thoroughly enjoying them as I read MP and then watch, but there is such a wealth of material on your channel that I can't resist starting the other playlists at the same time! I want to watch them all at once! Which is, sadly, impossible--haha So I just have to patient and go one at a time. The way you explain ideas is just fantastic. I especially appreciate how you walk your viewers through concepts in such a methodical way that is both captivating and exceptionally clear. Allowing us to participate in your own way of grasping and articulating the ideas is extremely helpful. Anyway, I just wanted to jump in here and express my profound thanks. I'm determined to make it through every playlist! All best to you! Lemony

[richardfairley]

Hi, really excited about this one! When I was studying philosophy at university in the early '90s, Bergson wasn't even 'on the radar' - but Bergson seems to be 'in the air' at the moment and being rediscovered in the academy, generally. Here's hoping interest will continue to grow!

[Schildkroetenpanda]

Thanks for this series, mate! Super helpful to listen to your videos, while trying to find an access to philosophers.

[gusmore]

Of particular note to me (at 19:28) is the tying of 'Duration' to Heidegger's "Being and Time" and Merleau-Ponty's "Phenomenology of Perception" with The Transcendental Field.

[istoner]

Just found your channel. Great stuff! Thanks

[kennyg]

Don't know much about Bergson or his philosophy. I've really only heard his name mentioned in passing. Looking forward to this! And that's a shame about his wife burning a lot of his remaining work...

[cosminalemoine]

thank you so much for making time to create this helpful video.

[davelowe]

This is great, just subscribed. I've only recently discovered Bergson through looking into Alfred North Whitehead. I'm still trying to grasp Bergson's ideas.

[Top_Lad]

Hey Nathan, could you please master your audio a bit louder? I need to go almost full volume to hear you loud and clearly and I am not hard hearing. I suggest mastering to -3Db (this is the industry standard).

[tomekjarzabek]

Bergson it is! I hope i'll be able to read along. And thanks for the little easter egg there :)

[drbonesshow]

Had Bergson been around in the 1990s the popular TV comedy would have been Bergson - not Seinfeld. A show about something - not nothing.

[pascalbaryamo]

Preparing an essay on Bergson and stumbled upon your video, it’s well-structured and from what I can tell a decent overview, but the audio quality is literal rubbish :(

[lbucky]

Sounds like its going to be a good series 😁

[pfflam]

I'm reading Bergson for the first time in my late 50s, (Matter and Memory) and am enjoying it immensely, I am struck by how many of Deleuze's central concepts seem prefigured in his work -anyway, just sayin' -looking forward to this series

[mttwmacneil]

I'm excited

I just started Creative Evolution two days ago 🍻

[blueberryjoe]

Thank you by heart - for your uploads to Henri Bergson!
You helped me a lot, thinking about some core-quotes and -ideas for my Master Thesis about his duality.
As long as you love beeing absurd, stay absurd and keep up your motivation for it.
Greetings from Germany

[greyholliday]

If he wrote a book and it was being misunderstood, why did he not write a new book, addressing the misrepresentations that were being made? Responding with nothing can give the impression of admitting defeat of your thought process.

[avipinckney]

Love the existentialism for dummies on the shelf. Honestly same

[tyherbert]

Thought your accent sounded familiar :P