Living Consciousness: The Metaphysical Vision of Henri BergsonWinner of the 2012 Godbey Authors' Awards presented by the Godbey Lecture Series in Southern Methodist University's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Living Consciousness examines the brilliant, but now largely ignored, insights of French philosopher Henri Bergson (1859–1941). Presenting a detailed and accessible analysis of Bergson's thought, G. William Barnard highlights how Bergson's understanding of the nature of consciousness and, in particular, its relationship to the physical world remain strikingly relevant to numerous contemporary fields. These range from quantum physics and process thought to philosophy of mind, depth psychology, transpersonal theory, and religious studies. Bergson's notion of consciousness as a ceaselessly dynamic, inherently temporal substance of reality itself provides a vision that can function as a persuasive alternative to mechanistic and reductionistic understandings of consciousness and reality. Throughout the work, Barnard offers "ruminations" or neo-Bergsonian responses to a series of vitally important questions such as: What does it mean to live consciously, authentically, and attuned to our inner depths? Is there a philosophically sophisticated way to claim that the survival of consciousness after physical death is not only possible but likely? |
Contents
1 The Nature of Consciousness | 3 |
2 Authenticity | 18 |
3 Time | 28 |
4 Quantity and Quality | 33 |
5 Determinism | 38 |
6 Alternative Understandings of the Self | 46 |
7 Freedom | 51 |
Liminal Section The Dynamism of Matter | 69 |
16 Perceptions and the Brain | 137 |
17 The Interaction of Perception and Memory | 145 |
18 Moving from Perception to Memory | 151 |
19 The Interweaving of Recollection Memory and Habit Memory | 155 |
20 Ruminations on the Hidden Power of Memory | 162 |
21 The Presence of the Present | 173 |
22 Memory and the Brain | 180 |
23 Mind and Matter as Different Rhythms of Durée | 193 |
8 The World Out There | 71 |
9 Movement | 73 |
10 An Atomistic Understanding of Reality | 78 |
11 Going Beyond Classical Physics | 82 |
12 Melodies of the Self and the World | 88 |
Section Two The Matter of Consciousness and the Consciousness of Matter | 103 |
13 Contemporary Understandings of Consciousness | 105 |
14 Images of the Universe | 121 |
15 Nonlocality and Bergsons Universe of Images | 130 |
Other editions - View all
Living Consciousness: The Metaphysical Vision of Henri Bergson G. William Barnard No preview available - 2011 |
Living Consciousness: The Metaphysical Vision of Henri Bergson G. William Barnard No preview available - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
A. A. Luce According to Bergson activity atoms attempt become beliefs Bell's theorem Bergson and Modern Bergson argues Bergson notes Bergson points Bergsonian brain claim complex conscious experience consciousness continually cosmic create Creative Evolution crucial David Bohm David Ray Griffin dream dualism durée dynamic élan vital Elizabeth Grosz existence external world fact feel flux freedom Gilles Deleuze Griffin Guerlac habit memory Henri Bergson highly Ibid ideas images in-and-through inner instance interactions intuition John Mullarkey least levels lives material Matter and Memory melody mental mind mind-body movement mystics nature of consciousness ness Nonetheless numerous objects ongoing ourselves P. A. Y. Gunter panpsychism particles past perhaps perspective phenomena philosophical physical body possible present psychic psychological pure perceptions quantum reality recollection memory Rupert Sheldrake sciousness sensations sense simply subconscious Susan Blackmore telepathy theory things thought tion unconscious understanding understood University Press Unsnarling the World-Knot utterly various