Kurt Doglione (Progress Review I) `The Intellect and Matter in Bergson'

This chapter explores the relationship between intellectual knowledge and matter in Henri Bergson’s philosophy. More precisely, I ask Bergson, does the intellect know matter absolutely? The reason I ask this question is because, regarding this matter, he appears to have contradicted himself. To be explicit, the earlier Bergson claims that the intellect cannot know matter absolutely. Whereas, in his later work, he claims that the intellect can know matter absolutely. Broadly then, this chapter aims to understand Bergson’s position on the absolute, the intellect, why the intellect cannot know matter absolutely, and then finally, what reasons he gives to justify his apparent change in position. I will conclude by arguing that, given the reasons he provides earlier, he cannot suggest that we know matter absolutely through the intellect.