Bergsonism

Deleuze identifies three pivotal concepts―duration, memory, and élan vital―that are found throughout Bergson's writings.

In this analysis of one major philosopher by another, Gilles Deleuze identifies three pivotal concepts―duration, memory, and élan vital―that are found throughout Bergson's writings and shows the relevance of Bergson's work to contemporary philosophical debates. Deleuze interprets and integrates these themes into a single philosophical program, arguing that Bergson's philosophical intentions are methodological. They are more than a polemic against the limitations of science and common sense, particularly in Bergson's elaboration of the explanatory powers of the notion of duration―thinking in terms of time rather than space.Bergsonism is also important to an understanding of Deleuze's own work, influenced as it is by Bergson.