Nobel Prize in Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 25 (1927) Winner
Henri-Louis Bergson
アンリ＝ルイ・ベルクソン
Henri-Louis Bergson
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1859-10-18 （Paris, Second French Empire）
- Died
- 1941-01-04 （Paris, German-occupied France） age 81
- Nationality
- French
- Languages
- French, English
- Religion
- Judaism (heritage)
- Residence History
- London (early childhood) → Paris (majority of life) → Clermont-Ferrand (teaching years) → Angers (teaching)
Career
- Occupations
- Philosopher, Writer, Professor
- Active Years
- 1881-1941
- Affiliations
- Collège de France, Académie française, International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation (League of Nations)
- Memberships
- Académie française, Académie des sciences morales et politiques, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (honorary)
- Influenced By
- Immanuel Kant, Charles Darwin, Herbert Spencer
- Influenced
- Gilles Deleuze, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Alfred North Whitehead, Ilya Prigogine, Nikos Kazantzakis, Jacques Maritain
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| École Normale Supérieure | — | Letters | agrégation (philosophy) | 1878–1881 | France |
| University of Paris | — | Philosophy | 博士（Ph.D.） | 1889 | France |
École Normale Supérieure
Letters
Degree:
agrégation (philosophy)
Period:
1878–1881
Year of Graduation:
1881
Country:
France
Obtained agrégation in philosophy
University of Paris
Philosophy
Degree:
博士（Ph.D.）
Period:
1889
Year of Graduation:
1889
Country:
France
Doctoral dissertation: Time and Free Will (Essai sur les données immédiates de la conscience)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | Nobel Prize in Literature | — | — | Nobel Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1930 | Grand-Croix de la Légion d'honneur | — | — | Government of France | 受賞 |
| 1928 | Honorary foreign member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Sciences | 選出 |
Nobel Prize in Literature
1927
Organization:
Nobel Foundation
Result:
受賞
Grand-Croix de la Légion d'honneur
1930
Organization:
Government of France
Result:
受賞
Honorary foreign member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1928
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result:
選出
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Time and Free Will: An Essay on the Immediate Data of Consciousness
1889 PhilosophyDoctoral dissertation addressing the flow of consciousness (duration) and free will; introduces the concept of 'duration' and argues for intuition as a method to grasp lived experience.
time (duration)free willintuition
Matter and Memory
1896 PhilosophyA study of perception, memory and the relation between body and mind; analyzes brain function and the role of memory.
memoryperceptionmind–body relation
Creative Evolution (L'Évolution créatrice)
1907 PhilosophyMajor work on evolution and the creativity of life; introduces the concept of élan vital and defends a creative, non-mechanistic view of evolution.
evolutioncreativityélan vital
The Two Sources of Morality and Religion
1932 PhilosophyExamines the origins and interplay of morality and religion, considering their social and personal functions.
ethicsreligionsocial philosophy
Bibliography
- The Philosophy of Poetry: The Genius of Lucretius (1884)
- Time and Free Will (1889)
- Matter and Memory (1896)
- Creative Evolution (1907)
- Mind-Energy (1919)
- Duration and Simultaneity (1922)
- The Two Sources of Morality and Religion (1932)
- The Creative Mind / Mind in Motion (1934)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- intuitionist argumentationmetaphorical and image-rich prosecontrast between conceptual analysis and intuition
- Recurring Motifs
- time (duration)creativity and noveltyintuition vs. intellect
Health
-
rheumatic ailments (degenerative)1930年代–1941年Degenerative rheumatic condition in later years caused partial paralysis and limited travel; died of bronchitis in 1941.
Legacy
Bergson was an influential early-20th-century philosopher known for his concepts of duration, intuition, and élan vital. He has been reassessed posthumously (notably by Deleuze) and remains important in continental philosophy and intellectual history.
Academic Societies
- Académie française
- Académie des sciences morales et politiques
Archives
- Collections at the Bibliothèque nationale de France
In Popular Culture
- Often referenced in literature, film and intellectual discussions as a representative figure of early-20th-century thought
Quotes
-
“in recognition of his rich and vitalizing ideas and the brilliant skill with which they have been presented.”
Source: Nobel Prize citation (1927) (1927)
Trivia
- His wife Louise Neuberger was a cousin of Marcel Proust; Proust served as best man at their wedding.
- His daughter Jeanne, born in 1896, was deaf from birth.
- He renounced certain posts and honours rather than accept exemptions under Vichy anti-Jewish laws.