Bergson, pan(en)theism, and ‘being-in-life’
Abstract
Recent philosophy has witnessed a renewed interest in the works and ideas of Henri Bergson (1859–1941). But while recent scholarship has sought to rehabilitate Bergson’s insights on time, memory, consciousness, and human freedom, comparatively little attention has been paid to Bergson’s relationship to pantheism. By revisiting the ‘pantheism’ controversy surrounding Bergsonian philosophy during Bergson’s lifetime, this article argues that the pantheistic notion of ‘being-in-God’ can serve as an illuminating framework for the interpretation of Bergson’s philosophy. By examining the ‘pantheist’ readings of Bergson and comparing and contrasting Bergson’s philosophy of life with Spinoza’s panentheistic metaphysics, this paper shows that an account of ‘being-in-Life’ is key to Bergson’s metaphysical outlook as well as his account of philosophy as a practice of ‘intuitive’ thinking. In so doing, this paper highlights some of the implicit religious motifs in not only Bergson’s metaphysical outlook but also his conception of the task of philosophy.
Citation
Leung , K-H 2023 , ' Bergson, pan(en)theism, and ‘being-in-life’ ' , Sophia , vol. 62 , no. 2 , pp. 293-307 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s11841-022-00933-0
Publication
Sophia
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0038-1527Type
Journal article
Description
Funding: The writing and research of this article is made possible with the support from the ‘Panentheism and Religious Life’ project directed by Professor Yitzhak Melamed and Professor Clare Carlisle, and funded by the John Templeton Foundation (Grant Number(s) 61341).Collections
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