"Creative Evolution" By Henri Bergson скачать в хорошем качестве

"Creative Evolution" By Henri Bergson

Henri Bergson's "Creative Evolution" presents a profound and intricate exploration of life, consciousness, and the evolutionary process. Bergson challenges the conventional Darwinian view of evolution, proposing an alternative framework that emphasizes creativity and the élan vital, or vital force. His philosophical approach combines elements of metaphysics, biology, and psychology to argue that life is not merely a series of mechanical adaptations but a dynamic and continuous process of creative transformation. At the heart of Bergson's philosophy is the concept of duration (la durée), which contrasts with the spatialized, quantitative time of classical science. For Bergson, real time is qualitative and heterogeneous, an indivisible flow in which past, present, and future interpenetrate. This conception of time is crucial for understanding his idea of evolution. Rather than viewing evolution as a linear progression of discrete, predetermined stages, Bergson sees it as an unfolding, creative process that cannot be fully captured by static, mechanistic models. Bergson critiques the reductionist tendencies of mechanistic and finalistic explanations of evolution. Mechanistic theories, like those of Darwin, view life as a series of adaptations to external conditions, emphasizing chance and necessity. Finalistic theories, on the other hand, propose that life evolves towards predetermined ends, implying a sort of teleological determinism. Bergson finds both approaches inadequate because they fail to account for the spontaneous, inventive aspects of life. Instead, he introduces the concept of the élan vital, an internal vital impetus driving the creative evolution of life forms. This élan vital is not a force in the physical sense but a tendency towards free, creative development. Bergson's discussion of the élan vital leads him to explore the nature of intelligence and instinct. He distinguishes between these two forms of knowing, arguing that intelligence, associated with human beings, is adept at dealing with the inert, spatial world and manipulating objects. Instinct, more prominent in animals, is an immediate, sympathetic knowledge of life that operates within the realm of the living. Bergson suggests that while intelligence and instinct are different, they are complementary aspects of the élan vital, each contributing to the adaptive success of organisms in different ways. A significant portion of "Creative Evolution" is dedicated to the critique of scientific materialism and the limitations of analytic thought. Bergson argues that analytic thinking, which breaks down complex phenomena into simpler components, is ill-suited to grasping the continuous, fluid nature of life. He advocates for an intuitive approach, which he calls "intellectual sympathy," that involves immersing oneself in the flow of duration and directly experiencing the creative process. This method allows one to apprehend the essence of life and evolution as a dynamic, ongoing creation. Bergson’s philosophy has profound implications for our understanding of consciousness and free will. By situating consciousness within the flow of duration and linking it to the élan vital, he offers a view of human beings as active participants in the creative evolution of life. This perspective challenges deterministic views of human behavior and underscores the potential for freedom and creativity in shaping our own destinies. "Creative Evolution" thus stands as a landmark work in philosophical and biological thought, offering a vision of life that is vibrant, dynamic, and fundamentally creative. Bergson’s ideas have influenced a wide range of fields, from philosophy and psychology to literature and the arts. His emphasis on the fluid, continuous nature of life and the importance of creativity resonates with contemporary concerns about the limitations of reductionist science and the need for a more holistic understanding of the living world. In essence, Bergson invites us to see life not as a static collection of entities but as an ever-evolving, creative process that defies simple categorization and demands a deeper, more intuitive form of engagement.