Culture | Prime time

Henri Bergson was once the world’s most famous philosopher

He sought to reconcile science and metaphysics

Henri Bergson
Photograph: Getty Images

MANY PEOPLE think that there must be something more to the fabric of reality than what science can explain. Four-fifths of Americans believe in the existence of “something spiritual beyond the natural world”, according to Pew Research Centre, a think-tank. But they do not get much support from contemporary scientists or philosophers, who tend to endorse the naturalist view. If Henri Bergson were alive, or even remembered, they would get more.

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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Prime time”

From the January 25th 2025 edition

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