Henri Bergson and the Qualitative Time of Consciousness: Intuition Against Determinism

Henri-Louis Bergson, a philosopher born in Paris on 18 October 1859 and who passed away on 4 January 1941, explored various fields including literature, art, psychology, theology, and biology. In 1927, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, a distinction held by only a select few philosophers. Bergson challenged positivism and championed human freedom, opposing scientific determinism and rejecting materialist views that equate quality with quantity. He highlighted the importance of philosophical intuition for grasping consciousness and reality, promoting dualism between intelligence and intuition. His metaphysical ideas portrayed consciousness as a fluid experience influenced by memory, contrasting with static scientific models, and he used cinema to demonstrate that life should be measured by quality rather than quantity.