Bergson's Vitalism

In this episode, we delve into Charles Darwin’s theory of Evolution by Natural Selection and explore the alternative philosophical perspective of Henri Bergson. While Darwin’s mechanistic view emphasizes random mutations and natural selection, Bergson introduces the concept of élan vital—a creative force driving life’s complexity and direction.

Evolution Talk is also a book! You can find links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and others on the front page of EvolutionTalk.com, or call your local bookstore and ask them to order a copy.

Works Cited

Bergson, Henri, and Henri Bergson. Creative Evolution / by Henri Bergson ; Authorized Translation by Arthur Mitchell. 1922, https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.17594.

Henri Bergson (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). 3 July 2021, plato.stanford.edu/entries/bergson.

“Leigh M. Van Valen.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/contributor/Leigh-M-Van-Valen/3769.

Vaughan, Michael. “Introduction: Henri Bergson’s Creative Evolution.” Sub-stance/SubStance, vol. 36, no. 3, Jan. 2007, pp. 7–24. https://doi.org/10.1353/sub.2007.0051.

Music in this Episode Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology news

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