The origins of violence and its control by democracy and international organisations in the work of Bergson

Abstract

The philosophy of Bergson has not been studied in depth from the socio-political point of view. Nevertheless I think that this aspect of his philosophy allows us to understand his significance and relevance. Bergson is a thinker who concentrates on current problems and his reflections on socio-political issues show him to be more a thinker of the 20th and 21st century than a 19th century one. To understand the relevance and validity of his socio-political thought one has to carefully reread Bergson’s last work, The Two Sources of Morality and Religion, and his works and his speeches during the War. It is necessary to see it in its intellectual context and also to recover its philosophical argument: the origin of violence and conflict and its control by means of democratic forms of coexistence, which promote relationships between different societies and the recognition of the necessity of international organisations as a form of mediation between different nations. This means being aware of Bergson’s political work and his approach to the relationship between philosophy and politics, his understanding of politics, his conditions and limits, and particularly his belief in an open society due to the intervention of charismatic figures and international organizations.