Bergson's Philosophy of Biology: Virtual and the Vital

• Critically reappraises Bergson’s evolutionary metaphysics
• Includes summaries, interpretations and evaluations of Bergson’s various engagements with evolutionary theory
• Provides a counterpoint to the traditional understanding of Bergson as a phenomenologist
• Offers a critical rejoinder to Bergson's reputation as a metaphysical vitalist by bringing his work into dialogue with arguments and issues in the philosophy of science
• Makes a strong case for Bergson’s interdisciplinary relevance outside of the typical fields of philosophy, literature and the arts

We are in the midst of a return to Henri Bergson – the French philosopher whose influence touches the fields of continental philosophy, literary theory and art theory. This revival of interest in his work could even be called a full-blown Bergson renaissance. Tano S. Posteraro contributes to this increasingly serious study of Bergson’s philosophy with a tight focus on Bergson’s theory of evolution. He presents an alternative Bergson: not a phenomenologist whose central concern is the conscious experience of lived time or the lived body in time, but a systematic philosopher of biology with a robust, prescient and largely workable evolutionary programme.