Matter and Memory

Matter and Memory (1911)
Henri Bergson, translated by Nancy Margaret Paul and William Scott Palmer

Nancy Margaret Paul and William Scott Palmer4192303Matter and Memory1911Nancy Margaret Paul and William Scott Palmer

MATTER
AND MEMORY

By

HENRI BERGSON

MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE
PROFESSOR AT THE COLLÈGE DE FRANCE

Authorised Translation by
NANCY MARGARET PAUL and W. SCOTT PALMER

LONDON
SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO., LIM
New York: MACMILLAN AND CO.,
1911

CONTENTS
PAGES
Translators' Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		v–v
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		vii–xvii
CHAPTER I
Of the Selection of Images for Conscious Presentation. What our Body Means and Does . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		1–85
	Real action and virtual action, 1–8; Representation, 8–14; Realism and Idealism, 14–17; The choice of images, 17–35; Relation between representation and action, 35–45; The image and reality, 45–51; The image and affective sensation, 51–55; Nature of affective sensation, 55–59; The image, apart from sensation, 59–62; Natural extension of images, 62–69; Pure perception, 69–73; Approach to the problem of matter, 73–81; Memory, 81–85.
CHAPTER II
Of the Recognition of Images. Memory and Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		86–169
	The two forms of memory, 86–105; Movements and Recollections, 105–118; Recollections and movements, 118–145; Realization of memories, 145–169.
CHAPTER III
Of the Survival of Images. Memory and Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		170–232
	Pure memory, 170–176; What the present is, 176–181; The unconscious, 181–189; Existence, 189–191; Relation of past and present, 191–200; Memory and general ideas, 201–212; The Association of Ideas, 212–217; The plane of action and the plane of dream, 217–220; The different planes of consciousness, 220–225; Attention to life, 225–226; Mental equilibrium, 227–230; The Office of the body, 231–232.
CHAPTER IV
The Delimiting and Fixing of Images. Perception and Matter. Soul and Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		233–298
	The problem of dualism, 233–238; Description of the Method, 238–245; Indivisibility of movement, 246–253; Real movement, 254–259; Perception and matter, 259–267; Duration and tension, 267–277; Extensity and extension, 277–291; Soul and body, 291–298.
Summary and Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		299–332
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		333–339

This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.

Original:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1941, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 82 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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Translation:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1953, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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