Bergson, history and ontology
RIS ID
73170
Additional Publication Information
ISBN: 9780748670222
Abstract
Since th revival of Bergson studies, a key aspect of his work has remained largely dormant amongst scholars: his philosophy of history. In this chapter, I will address this under-explored area of investigation by making some suggestions as to what Bergsonian philosophy might have to offer our understanding of history. This task will be guided throughout by a concern for the ontological nature of history. Although Bergson's thoughts on history are often considered to be restricted to his Two Sources of Morality and Religion, I will demonstrate how Bergson develops and deploys an ontology of history and an historical ontology in his earlier texts that arguably play a significant role within his broader thinking. In so doing, Bergsonian philosophy will be shown to advance strategies for escaping the traditional and dominant concerptions of history as representational, casual-linear and telcological - strategies that are subsequently expanded upon and modified by Bergsonian thinkers such as Charles Peguy, Arnold Toynbee and Gilles Deleuze.
Publication Details
Lundy, C. A. (2013). Bergson, history and ontology. In J. Mullarkey and C. De Mille (Eds.), The Art of Immanence: Painting, Photography, Film (pp. 17-31). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.