Living Consciousness: The Metaphysical Vision of Henri Bergson (Transpersonal Humanist Psychol)

Professor William Barnard has given us a fascinating and highly readable tour of Henri Bergson's (1859-1941) thought on consciousness, using it as a pivot point to unfold other major dimensions of his work as well. The book is a welcome addition to the sparse literature on Bergson's heritage that is presently available to a broad English-speaking readership.

This is a wonderful book. Dr. Barnard has managed to explore in a single tome a major French philosopher of the early 20th century (Henri Bergson), as well as to examine the nature of consciousness. He also weaves in his own personal reflections to help it all come alive.By beginning with Bergson's biographical and historical context, Barnard gives us reason to care about the life and work of this once famous and now all-too-ignored philosopher.But Barnard's main contribution is to explore the nature of consciousness via Bergson's ideas about it. He helps us see why consciousness, that most essential yet obscure feature of human life, is much, much more than simply the accidental effect of brain processes. Bergson (via Barnard) offers us a plausible and compelling panpsychic or perhaps panentheistic account of consciousness as the temporal, dynamic, creative substratum of all of reality. Indeed, says Bergson (via Barnard), physical matter itself may be seen as simply one highly habituated end of a continuum of different vibratory levels of consciousness. And rather than the brain producing states of consciousness, the brain may "filter," or "receive" something of consciousness, much like a radio "receives" radio signals.Barnard's more self-reflective "ruminations" are one of my favorite aspects of the book. These reflections helped me understand the implications of Bergson's perspective for topics as diverse as authenticity, freedom, memory, the nature of the subconscious, psi research and even the possibility of life after death.Taken all together, Living Consciousness should appeal to both educated readers and to academics. It is a valuable and important work.

Brilliant, this book do Barnard bring a new view on consciousness precious to transpersonal psychology

Inspiring