Alexandre Lefebvre and Melanie White, eds.

Bergson, Politics, and Religion examines the political and religious dimensions of the work of philosopher Henri Bergson. Although best known for his ideas on the nature of time, memory, and evolution, in his final book-The Two Sources of Morality and Religion (1932)-Bergson turned his attention to questions of war, moral duty, and spirituality. The essays in this volume reflect on Bergson as a distinctly political thinker and revitalize his ideas for contemporary political philosophy. Contributors include Keith Ansell-Pearson, Claire Colebrook, Leonard Lawlor, Paola Marrati, Philippe Soulez, and Frédéric Worms.

Acknowledgments vii
Abbreviations ix
Introduction: Bergson, Politics, and Religion / Alexandre Lefebvre and Melanie White 1
Part I: Closed and Open
1. The Closed and the Open in The Two Sources of Morality and Religion: A Distinction That Changes Everything / Frédéric Worms 25
2. Bergson, the Void, and the Politics of Life / Suzanne Guerlac 40
3. Equally Circular: Bergson and the Vague Inventions of Politics / John Mullarkey 61
4. The Art of the Future / Claire Colebrook 75
Part II: Politics
5. Bergson as Philosopher of War and Theorist of the Political / Philippe Soulez 99
6. Anarchy and Analogy: The Violence of Language in Bergson and Sorel / Hisashi Fujita 126
7. Asceticism and Sexuality: "Cheating Nature" in Bergson's The Two Sources of Morality and Religion / Leonard Lawlor 144
8. Creative Freedom: Henri Bergson and Democratic Theory / Paulina Ochoa Espejo 159
9. Bergson's Critique of Practical Reason / Carl Power 174
10. Bergson and Human Rights / Alexandre Lefebvre 193
Part III: Religion and Mysticism
11. Bergson and Judaism / Vladimir Jankélévitch 217
12. Bergson and Nietzsche on Religion: Critique, Immanence, and Affirmation / Keith Ansell-Pearson and Jim Urpeth 246
13. Assurance and Confidence in The Two Sources of Morality and Religion: A Sociological Interpretation of the Distinction between Static Religion and Dynamic Religion / Frédéric Keck 265
14. Tuning into Other Worlds: Henri Bergson and the Radio Reception Theory of Consciousness / G. William Barnard 281
15. James, Bergson, and an Open Universe / Paola Marrati 299
Bibliography 313
Contributors 325
Index 327