Essai sur les données immédiates de la conscience

Paris: Alcan, 1889. FIRST EDITION, SECOND ISSUE. Contemporary green cloth-backed boards. Pencil notes throughout. In good condition. First edition, second issue, of Bergson’s doctoral thesis on time and free will. Here the French philosopher attempted to redefine the relationship between free will and causality and refute Kant’s understanding of time as a spatial model. This text introduces Bergson’s theory of duration, a highly influential position adopted by most 20th-century philosophers.

Bergson (1859-1941) is known for his arguments that processes of immediate experience and intuition are more significant than abstract rationalism and science for understanding reality. He was awarded the 1927 Nobel Prize in literature not for a specific book but “in recognition of his rich and vitalizing ideas and the brilliant skill with which they have been presented.”.