Thinking in Time

Suzanne Guerlac

Description

<p><b>"Under the aegis of time Suzanne Guerlac displaces matter, intuition, memory, and vitalism of the early twentieth century into the wake of poststructuralism and the dilemmas of nature and culture here and now. This book is a landmark for anyone working in the currents of philosophy, science, and literature. The force and vision of the work will enthuse and inspire every one of its readers."</b>Tom Conley, Harvard University</p><p>"In recent years, we have grown accustomed to philosophical language that is intensely self-conscious and rhetorically thick, often tragic in tone. It is enlivening to read Bergson, who exerts so little rhetorical pressure while exacting such a substantial effort of thought.... Bergson&#39;s texts teach the reader to let go of entrenched intellectual habits and to begin to think differently&mdash;to think in time.... Too much and too little have been said about Bergson. Too much, because of the various appropriations of his thought. Too little, because the work itself has not been carefully studied in recent decades."&mdash;from <b><i>Thinking in Time</i></b></p><p>Henri Bergson (1859&ndash;1941), whose philosophical works emphasized motion, time, and change, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1927. His work remains influential, particularly in the realms of philosophy, cultural studies, and new media studies. In <b><i>Thinking in Time</i></b>, Suzanne Guerlac provides readers with the conceptual and contextual tools necessary for informed appreciation of Bergson&#39;s work.</p><p>Guerlac&#39;s straightforward philosophical expositions of two Bergson texts, <i>Time and Free Will</i> (1888) and <i>Matter and Memory</i> (1896), focus on the notions of duration and memory&mdash;concepts that are central to the philosopher&#39;s work. <b><i>Thinking in Time</i></b> makes plain that it is well worth learning how to read Bergson effectively: his era and our own share important concerns. Bergson&#39;s insistence on the opposition between the automatic and the voluntary and his engagement with the notions of "the living," affect, and embodiment are especially germane to discussions of electronic culture.</p>

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Philosophy
• Philosophy of language
• Literary theory
• Media studies

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 mai 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781501716980
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Tom Conley, Harvard University

"In recent years, we have grown accustomed to philosophical language that is intensely self-conscious and rhetorically thick, often tragic in tone. It is enlivening to read Bergson, who exerts so little rhetorical pressure while exacting such a substantial effort of thought.... Bergson's texts teach the reader to let go of entrenched intellectual habits and to begin to think differently—to think in time.... Too much and too little have been said about Bergson. Too much, because of the various appropriations of his thought. Too little, because the work itself has not been carefully studied in recent decades."—from Thinking in Time

Henri Bergson (1859–1941), whose philosophical works emphasized motion, time, and change, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1927. His work remains influential, particularly in the realms of philosophy, cultural studies, and new media studies. In Thinking in Time, Suzanne Guerlac provides readers with the conceptual and contextual tools necessary for informed appreciation of Bergson's work.

Guerlac's straightforward philosophical expositions of two Bergson texts, Time and Free Will (1888) and Matter and Memory (1896), focus on the notions of duration and memory—concepts that are central to the philosopher's work. Thinking in Time makes plain that it is well worth learning how to read Bergson effectively: his era and our own share important concerns. Bergson's insistence on the opposition between the automatic and the voluntary and his engagement with the notions of "the living," affect, and embodiment are especially germane to discussions of electronic culture.

" />

THINKING IN TIME

T H I N K I N G I N T I M E

f f f

AN INTRODUCTION TO H E N R I B E R GS O N

f f f

S U Z A N N E G U E R L AC

c o r n e l l u n i v e r s i t y p r e s s i t h a c a a n d l o n d o n

Copyright © 2006 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

First published 2006 by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2006

Printed in the United States of America

Design by Scott Levine

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Guerlac, Suzanne. Thinking in time : an introduction to Henri Bergson / Suzanne Guerlac. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8014-4421-0 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8014-4421-7 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-8014-7300-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8014-7300-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Bergson, Henri, 1859–1941. I. Title. B2430.B43G76 2006 194—dc22 2005032184

Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.

Cloth printing Paperback printing

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

In fond memory of my friend Scott Bryson

Preface Note on Translations

Contents

1. Bergson and Bergsonisms 2. From the Certainties of Mechanism to the Anxieties of Indeterminism 3.Time and Free Will (Essai sur les données immédiates de la conscience) 4.Matter and Memory 5. Channels of Contemporary Reception 6. Current Issues Conclusion

Bibliography Index

ix xiii

1

14

42 106 173 197 212

215 225

Preface

InWhat Is Called Thinking?Heidegger reminds us that there is no such thing as a mere presentation, or description, of a philosopher’s thought of the kind I attempt here. Every account is also an interpreta- tion. An exposition is also necessarily a reading. Where does my interpretation of Bergson begin? With the selection of texts I have chosen to present, theEssai sur les données immédiates de la conscience[Time and Free Will] andMatière et mémoire[Matter and Memory]. I focus on these two works, not because they are Bergson’s most famous books, but because they provide the best introduction to his thought. They present a rigorous account of the concepts of duration and memory crucial to all the philosopher’s works, and they reveal most clearly what is at stake in his thinking. In the end, however, we do not read Bergson for useful concepts so much as for a process of thought— a thinking in time—that carries remarkable critical force. As Heidegger has suggested inWhat Is Called Thinking?, we can learn thinking only by unlearning what thinking has traditionally been. Bergson can help us do this. Réapprendre à lire—to relearn how to read. This was the watchword of Mallarméan modernism. To turn to Bergson today requires relearn- ing how to read his works. It is not a question of finding yet another master discourse to plug into a set of conventional intellectual habits or postures. No summary of Bergson’s thought will be particularly useful. What counts is his practice of writing and the movement of his thought. This is why I have devoted the two central chapters of this book to read- ing through theEssaiandMatter and Memory. To the extent that read-