Tahar, Mathilde;
(2025)
Élan vital et conscience du vivant.
Archives de philosophie
, 8
(2)
pp. 61-81.
10.3917/aphi.882.0061.
![[thumbnail of Elan_vital_et_conscience_du_vivant_Pense.pdf]](https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/style/images/fileicons/text.png) |
Text
Elan_vital_et_conscience_du_vivant_Pense.pdf - Published Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 6 February 2026. Download (158kB) |
Abstract
To understand evolution, Bergson developed the concept of élan vital, which he compared to the progression of a conscience. This comparison has led commentators to interpret his philosophy as spiritualist, contributing to its discredit. Yet, the reference to consciousness is chiefly heuristic: It serves as a model for grasping the creativity of biological duration, of which human consciousness is but one instance. In this paper, I explore other particularizations of élan vital—non-human forms of consciousness—and show that Bergson’s philosophy, far from being confined to an outdated spiritualism, provides fertile theoretical avenues for contemporary biology.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Élan vital et conscience du vivant |
| DOI: | 10.3917/aphi.882.0061 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3917/aphi.882.0061 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Anthropology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10218440 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
