Mapping the notions of the self and the world in the works of Henri Bergson and Nishida Kitarō

Abstract

Few questions have been discussed more frequently throughout the history of philosophy and across cultures as what it means to realize the self and the world. From the long history of philosophers in both Western and Eastern traditions, there are two figures who notably stand out for their intuitive philosophies of consciousness to grasp the ultimate meaning of the self and the world — Henri Bergson and Nishida Kitarō. Both Bergson and Nishida used the intuitive method which resolutely oriented their philosophies towards the understanding of a unified whole. In this article, I will explore the similarities and points of difference in Bergson and Nishida’s philosophical projects in their attempts to explain the self’s connection with the world. Furthermore, I aim to establish a global history of Bergsonism which shares affinities with the Eastern traditions of thought and religious experience. The notions of duration and absolute nothingness, which Bergson and Nishida both used to express diverse perspectives on the nature of the self and the world, are presented to show how similar their stances are to one another even if the two conceptions have significant differences.