Inverted Time: Unraveling Bergson’s Philosophy of Language and Certainty
Abstract
This article delves into the philosophy of Henri Bergson, focusing on his perspectives on language and certainty. Despite Bergson not providing a standalone definition of ‘certainty’ or a reflection on language, his thought does address this age-old problem. The article challenges the notion of Bergson as an adversary of signs and language, highlighting that he appreciated being referred to as a ‘philosopher of language’. It proposes that Bergson’s philosophy is grounded in language, advocating a monistic thesis where impersonal pure time is the sole substance. This temporal substance is seen as a qualitative becoming in constant flux, expressing itself through variations in nature. These variations are viewed as expressions/transmissions/translations of the temporal substance. The article aims to provide a descriptive ontology of Bergson’s philosophy of signs and hypothesize what kind of notion of certainty emerges from this. Lastly, the article suggests that language is a temporal variation, an expression/transmission/translation of time that varies in an inverted expressive mode compared to that of the temporal substance. The sign (and space) is thus seen as inverted time.
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