Interpreting Bergson
Critical Essays

Bergson was a pre-eminent European philosopher of the early twentieth century and his work covers all major branches of philosophy. This volume of essays is the first collection in twenty years in English to address the whole of Bergson's philosophy, including his metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of life, aesthetics, ethics, social and political thought, and religion. The essays explore Bergson's influence on a number of different fields, and also extend his thought to pressing issues of our time, including philosophy as a way of life, inclusion and exclusion in politics, ecology, the philosophy of race and discrimination, and religion and its enduring appeal. The volume will be valuable for all who are interested in this important thinker and his continuing relevance.

Introduction Alexandre Lefebvre and Nils F. Schott; 1. Bergson's theory of truth Arnaud François; 2. What was 'serious philosophy' for the young Bergson? Giuseppe Bianco; 3. Bergson and naturalism Stéphane Madelrieux; 4. Bergson on the true intellect Leonard Lawlor; 5. Bergson's philosophy of art Mark Sinclair; 6. Bergson, time, and philosophies of life Suzanne Guerlac; 7. Bergson and philosophy as a way of life Keith Ansell-Pearson; 8. Bergson and social theory Alexandre Lefebvre and Melanie White; 9. Bergson and political theory Richard Vernon; 10. Bergson, colonialism, and race Mark Westmoreland; 11. Bergson's philosophy of religion Nils F. Schott.

Alexandre Lefebvre is Associate Professor of Government and International Relations, and Philosophy at the University of Sydney. He is author of Human Rights and the Care of the Self (2018), Human Rights as a Way of Life: On Bergson's Political Philosophy (2013), and The Image of Law: Deleuze, Bergson, Spinoza (2008). He is co-editor of The Subject of Human Rights (forthcoming), Henri Bergson (2015, with Nils F. Schott), and Bergson, Politics, and Religion (2012).
Nils F. Schott is Lecturer at the Collège universitaire de SciencesPo. He is co-editor of Henri Bergson (2015, with Alexandre Lefebvre) and Love and Forgiveness for a More Just World (2015). He is translator of a dozen volumes in philosophy and related fields.