The Natural Cyborg: The Stakes of Bergson's Philosophy of Evolution

Abstract

Bergson's engagement with evolutionary theory was remarkably up to date with the science of his time. One century later, the scientific and social landscape is undoubtedly quite different, but some of his insights remain of critical importance for the present. This paper aims at discussing three related aspects of Bergson's philosophy of evolution and their relevance for contemporary debates: first, the stark distinction between the affirmation of the reality of change and becoming, on the one hand, and any notion of progress on the other; second, the insistence on the intimate interplay between forms of knowledge and forms of life; third, his idea that machines and organisms, technology and biology, are not separate domains but, rather, stem from and answer to the same problems and needs that living beings express. Such a Bergsonian framework may prove very helpful in reassessing the implicit assumptions of several contemporary debates on the ethical and political stakes of evolution, biosciences, and technologies, as well as the increasingly problematic boundary between "biology" and "culture."s jp_17 3..17

Bergson contra Bergson: Race and morality in The Two Sources

“…Closed morality is the morality of those individuals and societies ‘whose activity ran indefinitely in the same circle … whose consciousness lapsed into the somnambulism of instinct instead of bracing itself and revitalizing itself into reflective thought’ (Bergson, 1977: 209). In other words, this reliance on habit and obedience as the foundation of morality creates a mindset and a culture rooted in what has worked in the past, and that therefore is unable to imagine ‘that something in the world simply might not fit peacefully into old intellectual habits and categories’ (Marrati, 2010: 7).…”

“…It cannot admit, even in principle, that new objects may require new concepts and methods of thinking, that something in the world simply might not fit peacefully into old intellectual habits and categories. (Marrati, 2010: 7)Conversely, Bergson’s philosophy necessarily foregrounds an awareness of the possibility of new objects, requiring ‘new concepts and methods of thinking’. As we will see, this is an injunction that can just as easily by applied to Bergson himself, providing an opportunity for working through the failures, weaknesses and uninterrogated assumptions of his own thinking.…”

“…It cannot admit, even in principle, that new objects may require new concepts and methods of thinking, that something in the world simply might not fit peacefully into old intellectual habits and categories. (Marrati, 2010: 7)…”

Technology is a laughing matter: Bergson, the comic and technology

“…There are, however, some recent exceptions that are noteworthy. Ruse (2005) uses Bergson to ground his argument for the importance of a philosophy of technology and Marrati (2010) draws attention to Bergson's thoughts about the relation of technology to organisms and how technology extends our organs. My aim here is to show that Bergson is relevant for a philosophy of technology.…”

La Evolución de los Mass Media

“…En filosofía, Marrati (2010) propone que Henri Bergson es el más importante filósofo de la evolución. Tratando de resumir algunos puntos de su pensamiento, Marrati destaca la claridad con que Bergson descubre que la lógica de los conceptos darwinistas y neodarwinistas de la evolución es, básicamente, la lógica mecánica de la física newtoniana.…”