CONTRIBUTI / 6 / Ronald Durán-Allimant /
In this paper I study Leibniz’s influence on Bergson’s notions of image, matter, memory, and related ones, as the French philosopher develop them in his book Matter and Memory (1896). First, I analyse the universe of matter-images Bergson draws in chapter 1. I call this universe an «updated monadology» and show the role photography plays in its configuration. Second, I expose the common assumptions and differences between Leibniz’s and Bergson’s notions of perception, perspective, and action. Third, I study Leibniz’s and Bergson’s use of the term «virtual». For both thinkers, the word refers to what is possible, although they interpret ‘possible’ differently, as pre-existence and as something radically new respectively. Fourth, I analyse the role memory and the unconscious play in Leibniz’s and Bergson’s philosophies, presenting the spiritual as their common foundation for continuity and duration. Finally, I conclude that both thinkers appeal to a «metaphysics of continuity, duration, and tendency» where time is crucial for the distinction between matter and spirit, and body and mind. However, radical differences persist in their respective metaphysical assumptions concerning the notions of novelty, freedom, and time.
