Bergson's Philosophy of BiologyVirtuality, Tendency and Time
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About this book
- Critically reappraises Bergson’s evolutionary metaphysics
- Includes summaries, interpretations and evaluations of Bergson’s various engagements with evolutionary theory
- Provides a counterpoint to the traditional understanding of Bergson as a phenomenologist
- Offers a critical rejoinder to Bergson's reputation as a metaphysical vitalist by bringing his work into dialogue with arguments and issues in the philosophy of science
- Makes a strong case for Bergson’s interdisciplinary relevance outside of the typical fields of philosophy, literature and the arts
We are in the midst of a return to Henri Bergson – the French philosopher whose influence touches the fields of continental philosophy, literary theory and art theory. This revival of interest in his work could even be called a full-blown Bergson renaissance. Tano S. Posteraro contributes to this increasingly serious study of Bergson’s philosophy with a tight focus on Bergson’s theory of evolution. He presents an alternative Bergson: not a phenomenologist whose central concern is the conscious experience of lived time or the lived body in time, but a systematic philosopher of biology with a robust, prescient and largely workable evolutionary programme.
Table of contents
Introduction: Between Philosophy and Biology1. Vitalism, Psychology, and Metaphysics2. Outline and Overview
1. The Actual: Mechanism, Finalism, Modality
Introduction1.1. Mechanisma. Adaptationismb. Developmental Constraint1.2. Finalisma. Inner Purposivenessb. The Metaphysics of Possibilityi. The Falsity of the Problemii. The Retrospective Illusion1.3. Geneticsa. Developmentb. EvolutionConclusion2. The Virtual: Instantiation, Implication, Dynamics
Introduction2.1. Instantiationa. Imagesb. Possibilitiesc. Affordances2.2. Implicationa. Contractionb. Themesc. Memory2.3. Dynamicsa. Inventionb. Affordancesc. PerformancesConclusion3. A Discourse on Tendency
Introduction3.1. Intellectual Effort and Élan Vital3.2. The Development of an Idea3.3. The Theory of Tendency3.4. The Modal-Mereological Difference3.5. Virtuality and the Dispositional ModalityConclusion4. Individuality and Organization
Introduction4.1. Spatializationa. Isolationb. Externalizationc. Localization4.2. Temporalizationa. Individuationb. Interpenetrationc. DurationConclusion5. Finalism Inverted
Introduction5.1. Rhythm and Reproduction5.2. Weismann Redux5.3. Orthogenesis5.4. Vitalism in Disputea. Entelechyb. Individuality5.5. True Finalisma. Externalityb. Commonalityc. PsychologyConclusion6. Canalization and Convergence
Introduction6.1. Canalizationa. Images for Developmentb. Vision and its Apparatusc. The Inside of Indetermination6.2. Convergencea. Definitionsb. Unity and Complementarityc. Recollection and Returnd. Conservation and ConstraintConclusionConcluding Remarks and Future Directions
Bibliography