Simmel and Bergson

Abstract

Taking a comparative approach, this essay uses Simmel's famous theory of the ‘blasÈ person’ to assemble contrasting personality portraits of Simmel and Bergson. It is argued that Simmel theorized but was not the blasÈ person, the modern urbanite whose nerves are overwhelmed by the metropolitan environment, and that Bergson was the better exemplar of this theory. It interprets Simmel's personality in light of his ideas of the salon and disinterested sociability as potential therapies for the blasÈ condition. It shows Bergson's affinity to Simmel's model, with all of its florid neurasthenic symptoms, and it is argued that this model provides a useful point of departure for talking about the interrelations of Bergson's personality, cultural vogue, and philosophy of a new vitality.