Scholasticism, with its intense rational method and its fervent intellectual spirit, virtually disappeared from the general consideration of Natural Philosophy at the coming of the Reformation and the subsequent Newtonian Revolution. Only in this century has it seemed to merit any reconsideration.

Henri Bergson (1859-1941) is one of the truly great philosophers of the modernist period, and there is currently a major renaissance of interest in his unduly neglected texts and ideas amongst philosophers, literary theorists, and social theorists. Creative Evolution (1907) is the text that made Bergson world-famous in his own lifetime; in it Bergson responds to the challenge presented to our habits of thought by modern evolutionary theory, and attempts to show that the theory of knowledge must have its (...) basis in a theory of life. (shrink)

1. Number and magnitude.--2. Space.--3. Force.--4. Nature.

One of the major works of an important modem philosopher, Matter and Memory investigates the autonomous yet interconnected planes formed by matter and perception on the one hand and memory and time on the other. Henry Bergson (1859-1941) was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1927. His works include Time and Free Will, An Introduction to Metaphysics, Creative Evolution, and The Creative Mind.

" Vivid . . . immense clarity . . . the product of a brilliant and extremely forceful intellect." — Journal of the Royal Naval Scientific Service "Still a sheer joy to read." — Mathematical Gazette "Should be read by any student, teacher or researcher in mathematics." — Mathematics Teacher The originator of algebraic topology and of the theory of analytic functions of several complex variables, Henri Poincare (1854–1912) excelled at explaining the complexities of scientific and mathematical ideas to (...) lay readers. Science and Method, written in 1908, has been appreciated by a wide audience of nonprofessionals and translated into many languages. It defines the basic methodology and psychology of scientific discovery, particularly in regard to mathematics and mathematical physics. Drawing on examples from many fields, it explains how scientists analyze and choose their working facts, and it explores the nature of experimentation, theory, and the mind. 1914 edition. Translated by Francis Maitland. (shrink)

LA. CREATION. COMME. DONNEE. DE. L'EXPÉRIENCE. Dans un «coup d'œil», comme dirait Bergson1, sur l'histoire de la pensée occidentale, nous avons distingué deux traditions, l'une d'origine gréco-latine, l'autre d'origine judéo- ...

HENRI BERGSON (1859-1941), philosophe français, professeur au Collège de France de 1900 jusqu´à 1921, récompensé avec le prix Nobel de littérature en 1928. Ses oeuvres majeures, écrites avec un style parfaitement accessible au lecteur non spécialisé, sont : « Essai sur les données immédiates de la conscience » (1889), « Matière et mémoire » (1896), « L´évolution créatrice » (1907) et « Les deux sources de la morale et de la religion » (1932). Dans ces études, Bergson élabore une (...) vision philosophique en opposition au matérialisme et positivisme scientifique. Concentrant sa recherche sur les intuitions individuelles, il prône la notion d´élan vital, lequel dirige le procès évolutif vers des états d´organisation de plus en plus complexes, et de là vient l´intérêt de donner prééminence à tout ce qui est spirituel et ouvertement créatif, sur tout ce qui est formel, fixé, fermé. Dans « Le rire : essai sur la signification du comique » (1900), il trouve que le comique est soulevé des que nous percevons dans les actions humaines les automatismes, répétitions ou dysfonctionnements qui contrastent avec l´essentielle spontanéité de la vie réelle. (shrink)

Die Entwicklungsgeschichte des Lebens in all ihrer Lückenhaftigkeit läßt doch schon ersehen, wie sich der Intellekt kraft ununterbrochenen Fortschritts in aufsteigender Linie, über die Reihe der Wirbeltiere hin bis zum Menschen, herausgebildet hat. Sie zeigt uns in der Fähigkeit des Verstehens einen Ausläufer der Fähigkeit des Handelns, eine immer schärfere, immer mehrgliedrigere, immer geschmeidigere Anpassung des Lebewesens an die gegebenen Existenzbedingungen. Woraus zu folgern wäre, daß unser Intellekt im engeren Sinn des Worts dazu bestimmt sei, die vollkommene Verwebung unseres Körpers (...) in seine Umgebung zu sichern, die Beziehungen der äußeren Dinge aufeinander vorzustellen, kurz: dazu, die Materie zu denken. Und tatsächlich wird dies einer der Schlüsse unserer Arbeit sein. (shrink)

In December 1945 Thomas Mann wrote a famous letter to Adorno in which he formulated the principle of montage adopted in his novel Doctor Faustus. The writer expressly invited the philosopher to 'consider, with me, how such a work - and I mean Leverkuhn's work - could more or less be practically realized'. Their close collaboration on questions concerning the character of the fictional composer's putatively late works effectively laid the basis for a further exchange of letters. The ensuing correspondence (...) between the two men documents a rare encounter of creative tension between literary tradition and aesthetic modernism which would be sustained right up until the novelist's death in 1955. In the letters, Thomas Mann openly acknowledged his 'fascinated reading' of Adorno's Minima Moralia and commented in detail on the 'Essay on Wagner', which he was as eager to read as 'the one in the Book of Revelation consumes a book which tastes "as sweet as honey"'. Adorno in turn offered detailed observations upon and frequently enthusiastic commendations of Mann's later writings, such as The Holy Sinner, The Betrayed One and The Confessions of Felix Krull. Their correspondence also touches upon issues of great personal significance, notably the sensitive discussion of the problems of returning from exile to postwar Germany. The letters are extensively annotated and offer the reader detailed notes concerning the writings, events and personalities referred or alluded to in the correspondence. (shrink)

Cet ouvrage est une réédition numérique d’un livre paru au XXe siècle, désormais indisponible dans son format d’origine.

Introduction: Myth and reality, by H. and H.A. Frankfort.--Egypt: The nature of the universe. The function of the state. The values of life. By J.A. Wilson.--Mesopotamia: The cosmos of the state. The function of the state. The good life. By T. Jacobsen. Conclusion: The emancipation of thought from myth, by H. and H.A. Frankfort.

Les mots philosophie du Christianisme correspondent tres exactement a ce qui apparait dans l'avant-dernier chapitre des Deux Sources de la Morale et de la Religion, publiees en 1932. Comprendre ces pages, ce sera evidemment voir leur rapport a l'oeuvre qui les precede; or, c'est trop peu dire qu'elles la supposent: elles la contiennent et l'expriment. Chercher leur sens, c'est donc se demander comment elles signifient le bergsonisme tout entier. L'impression que laisse l'itineraire de Bergson est celle d'une constante originalite. Originalite (...) dont s'aureole chacun de ses livres, avec cette difference, toutefois, qu'elle semble avoir ete moins immediatement et moins vivement sentie pour le dernier d'entre eux. Faire ressortir la signification profondement bergsonienne des Deux Sources sera, du meme coup, reconnaitre que, jusqu'a la fin, cette nouvelle philosophie n'a cesse d'etre une philosophie nouvelle. (shrink)

First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be (...) preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. (shrink)

Three examples of theoretical analysis of evolutionary processes are presented. It is shown that the mechanisms involved have little to do with cognitive processes except for superficial and formal analogies. That is the case not only for classical models of adaptive evolution , but also for more recent ones making use of neural network computation and self-organization theories.Recent works on functional self-organization exhibiting some features of intentionality are discussed in this context. It is argued that Dennett's intentional stance cannot be (...) used as a theoretical framework common to human prepositional attitudes, animal behaviour and adaptive evolution. Indeed, a physical theory of intentionality could account, at least in principle, for the production of intentional self-organizing systems. However, except for a renewed theological “argument from design”, there is no justification to attribute intentionality to evolutionary processes and “Mother Nature”, for the reason that they have produced organisms endowed with intentional psycholinguistic capabilities. (shrink)

. Lamarck and Darwin agreed on the inconstancy of species and on the exclusive gradualism of evolution. Darwinism, revived as neo-Darwinism, was almost generally accepted from about 1930 till 1960. In the sixties the evolutionary importance of selection has been called in question by the neutralists. The traditional conception of the gene is disarranged by recent molecular-biological findings. Owing to the increasing confusion about the concept of genotype, this concept is reconsidered. The idea of the genotype as a cluster of (...) genes is replaced by a cybernetical interpretation of the genotype. As nature does jump, exclusive gradualism is dismissed. Saltatory evolution is a natural phenomenon, provoked by a sudden collapse of the thresholds which resist against evolution. The fossil record and the taxonomic system call for a macromutational interpretation. As Lamarck and Darwin overlooked the resistance of evolutionary thresholds, an alternative evolution model is needed, the first to be constructed on a palaeontological and taxonomic basis. (shrink)