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

---

Etymology

Origin of Bergsonism

First recorded in 1905–10; Bergson + -ism

Example Sentences

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

From Time Magazine Archive

Philosophy, you will say, doesn't lie flat on its belly in the middle of experience, in the very thick of its sand and gravel, as this Bergsonism does, never getting a peep at anything from above.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

It is among such women that one observes the periodic rages for Bergsonism, the Montessori method, the twilight sleep and other such follies, so pathetically characteristic of American culture.

From Project Gutenberg