Henri Bergson
French philosopher who won the Nobel Prize in Literature and whose Creative Evolution introduced the concept of the élan vital as the force behind biological evolution. His analysis of time as duration (durée) influenced Proust and early cinema theory. He is the most celebrated philosopher of the early 20th century.
Works
- Creative EvolutionPhilosophy of life claiming evolution emerges through creative impulse
- Time and Free WillAnalysis of duration, consciousness, and human freedom from determinism
- Matter and MemoryExploration of memory, perception, and the mind-body relationship
- The Two Sources of Morality and ReligionEthical and religious philosophy rooted in vital impulse and intuition
- LaughterEssay on laughter as social phenomenon and biological mechanism