Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Bergsonism

American  
[burg-suh-niz-uhm, berg-] / ˈbɜrg səˌnɪz əm, ˈbɛrg- /

noun

  1. the philosophy of Bergson, emphasizing duration as the central fact of experience and asserting the existence of the élan vital as an original life force essentially governing all organic processes.

Bergsonism British  
/ ˈbɜːɡsəˌnɪzəm /

noun

  1. the philosophy of Henri Bergson, which emphasizes duration as the basic element of experience and asserts the existence of a life-giving force that permeates the entire natural order Compare élan vital

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Bergsonism

First recorded in 1905–10; Bergson + -ism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Most modern students of evolution take little stock in either Bergsonism or Lamarckism.

From Time Magazine Archive

Philosophical   Review, May, 1912 "Practical Tendencies of Bergsonism" International Journal of   Ethics, 1913 "Some Antecedents of Bergson's Philosophy" Mind, 1913.

From Bergson and His Philosophy by Gunn, John Alexander

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.