Deleuze's Bergsonism

by Craig Lundy

Henri-Louis Bergson (1859–1941) was a French philosopher who is widely and rightly regarded to be amongst the most significant thinkers for Gilles Deleuze’s work. In turn, Deleuze is largely responsible for reviving and contouring the prevailing interest in Bergson’s work through his 1988 book Bergsonism . This critical introduction and guide to Bergsonism gives readers of both Deleuze and Bergson an opportunity to discover and fully connect with the philosophical encounter between these two great thinkers.

Genres: Philosophy

192 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2018

Reviews

[Kamakana · Rating 5 out of 5]

260130: again. and no exaggeration. new favourite bergson book. then again, most recent read. I have decided with all books, fiction, nonfiction, art, philosophy- that these star ratings will reflect my emotional status after the book. do I feel enlightened, enthused, energetic, or disappointed, down, dead? in nonfiction, familiar in fact or reputation or rumour, there might be little surprise, little levity, through reading subtly different reads. it is all down to style. in these books style is sort of philosophy that is absolutely my cup of tea. someone may claim bergson is not mainstream (real) philosopher? I do not swim in the mainstream... this style is very much my cup of tea...

Henri Bergson is major guiding in my stylistic western other-stream, so is Gilles Deleuze and others such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger and even that long ago gateway drug to all philosophy Jean-Paul Sartre... this style is very much my cup of tea...

times I wish to once again discuss ideas with my late father, though his realm of expertise was chemical physics and I have only read and thought lot philosophy. this is one time. this text works for me in the way best of any philosopher, as in What is Called Thinking?. and here bergson seems more honourable man without historical 'errors'. this text begins at intermediate level, with some of his biography integrated, with his fame, his fall, documented, with some indication of his revolutionary ideas. not forgotten in france though poorly read in anglosphere, his light was dimmed by circumstances: working outside 'mainstream' academy, working at college de France, working with no immediate disciples in thought, even dismissed as 'too feminine' as 'too popular,' his serious challenge to, first, accepted French philosophy as descendent of various threads of authors Kant, Hegel etc, second, his challenge to rising almost theocratic influences embedded in phenomenology and it proponents which focused rather on anguish, negation, moral absolutes, than Bergson's more reasoned effort, optimism, moral resolution... this style is very much my cup of tea...

for after having read certain number of philosophy works- books of all sorts in general- I have decided there is perhaps schism in attitude, in style, in deployment of language, poetics, plan, even purpose in the vast realm of what is considered 'philosophy'. if these concerns are viewed as outside or extraneous to construction of logical edifice in analytic worldview, in pragmatics, in value of entire project of thinking, I do not argue. this is attitude. I am not professional philosopher or so beholden to one or another conceptualisation of our shared world. I do not argue. if I must have 'purpose' to my interests in philosophy, this is neither materialist framing not idealist theorising of our experience, niether necessary The Metaphysics of Scientific Realism, which bergson seriously addresses, as will be interpreted in Merleau-Ponty and Buddhism, which stressed another angle of pragmatics though, again, some people will not credit buddhism as philosophy. I do not argue. I gesture to Nietzsche and Buddhist Philosophy. or the reader accepts that this is philosophy and decides in what manner does this reflect my entire reason Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings, in pure pleasure of thinking, not nearly transcending our everydayness (samsara), if there must be 'purpose' I prefer effects such as The Art of Living... this style is very much my cup of tea...

how this all relates to deleuze is my eventually-educated joy in reading of his ideas and then work by the man himself such as Nietzsche and Philosophy or the book referred to here Bergsonism. this review is work by philosopher (Craig Lundy) on philosopher (Gilles Deleuze) on philosopher Henri Bergson. this is great! this is pure thought. even though deleuze and bergson and various philosophers emerge in my fictional writing, who knows if that will ever be read- there is this great pleasure in reading an essay on favoured book Bergsonism on favourite philosopher... this style is very much my cup of tea...

these ideas are why I read philosophy. this is fun. for me.

[Reilly Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

There will come a day when I read a Deleuze primary text, but that day is not today. Fantastic and readable overview of Bergsonism, a book on my list which I now feel thoroughly prepared to approach