I mentioned in a “note to self” post back in 2021 that I was looking forward to the publication of Emily Herring’s biography of Henri Bergson
“Herald of a Restless World
– How Henri Bergson brought philosophy to the people“
Emily Herring (2024)
Posted a review on Goodreads: (Slightly edited version below.)
I already had some appreciation of the significance of Henri Bergson’s philosophy from its take-up by US pragmatists (eg James and later Pirsig readers) as well as by Whitehead and most recently by Iain McGilchrist’s extensive use of Bergson references in his (2023) magnum opus “The Matter With Things”. Emily Herring I had noticed write an (2017) article on Julian Huxley’s use of Bergson, have been since then anticipating the biography she has now produced. It does not disappoint.
Her writing style is a major attraction. Here in one sentence describing Bergson’s experience of the run-up to the first world war: “Even for those more attuned to recent developments in international relations, the threat of war had not felt real until the news broke that it was.” Neat turn of phrase.
Many spoilers about the the Bergson biographical content have already been shared in published reviews, and perhaps his role in wartime politics is one of the more surprising. Intriguing too that he effectively converted to Catholicism, in all but name, late in life. Less surprising is the fact that prejudices against his being a French Jew and his work attracting a massive public and female(!) following explain why an academic backlash against his undoubted initial superstar success led unfairly to his fall from favour and visibility thereafter.
“Bergson is back” and deservedly so on the subtle reading of his ideas on integration of the recurring philosophical division between the explicit / objective / classical and the intuitive / implicit / romantic. Biography is an excellent medium to get to grips with human ideas. Herring will deserve our future gratitude, if her efforts are taken up by enough new readers in our troubled and confusing present. Highly recommended as a biography in what were interesting times, whether you’re specifically interested in Bergson or philosophy generally, or not.
Herring spoke about her work and about Bergson at Collected Books in Durham last Monday 4th Nov.
(Above) In the foreground Emily Thomas (Durham Uni, Philosophy) and Simon Oliver (Durham Uni, Divinity) and, middle distance on the right, me in the rusty-red top awaiting the start of the event.
(Above) Emily Herring (L) being interviewed by Emily Thomas (R).
Reading Herring, and previously Bergson (Creative Evolution), I remained intrigued, given that focus on “the recurring philosophical division between the explicit / objective / classical and the intuitive / implicit / romantic” that I could see no references to the German & British romantics and transcendentals who had been expressing similar thoughts with similar concerns against the seeming dehumanising trend in the progress of science and technology. So I asked. She confirmed there was little if any sign of any such engagement in Bergson.
Previous references:
First attempt at reading Bergson’s Creative Evolution back in 2007 as recommended by other Pirsig scholars on “MoQ-Discuss” (See now the Robert Pirsig Association). Herring advises there is a newer, better translation now available.
That “note to self” above, where the significance of Bergson to McGilchrist’s “Matter with Things” is also acknowledged and where I had completed my read of Creative Evolution. (My summary of Matter With Things.)
An introduction to Bergson and the revival of anglophone interest in Emily Herring’s essay from earlier this year. My reading Emily Herring’s 2017 piece on Julian Huxley’s “Great is Darwin and Bergson his Poet” which had whetted my appetite for her upcoming biography.
Also relevant, as well as the question above – biographies of the positivists (Mach Society / Vienna Circle) and the German transcendentals (around Humboldt and Jena)
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- The Jena Set as Magnificent Rebels (Andrea Wulf)
- The Vienna Circle as seen by the Brits (David Edmonds)
- The Vienna Circle from their own Austro-German perspective (Karl Sigmund and Douglas Hofstadter)
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The connections never end.
And neither does the work of organising the writing.
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Post Notes:
New York Times review by Anthony Gottlieb.
Gottlieb is someone I’ve read and written very positively about before, and we note from the by-line in that review that his new book out soon is on Wittgenstein – see in contrast to the positivists above. Can’t wait.
“It is very difficult, if not impossible, to express in words something that goes against the very essence of language” Bergson
“Perhaps it’s also true that Bergson’s ideas were not substantial enough to endure.” Gottlieb
(Me: the stuff beyond “substantive science” is very hard to make stick, very Pirsigian “Quality”.)
And a recent Times Literary Supplement review “How the World’s Most Famous Thinker Fell Out of Fashion” by Mark Sinclair, who has written about Bergson before in their Footnotes to Plato series.
Another review from Science.Org – suprisingly positive despite the rather pejorative use of “fodder” to describe his relationship with science?
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