The Rise and Fall of Henri Bergson
An interview with Emily Herring, author of HERALD OF A RESTLESS WORLD
Emily Herring is a writer based in Paris. She received her PhD in the history and philosophy of science from the University of Leeds, and her first book Herald of a Restless World. How Henri Bergson Brought Philosophy to the People was released with Basic Books in October 2024. Her writing has appeared in the Times Literary Supplement and in Aeon.
I asked Dr. Herring to join me for a chat about her book, and she kindly accepted. We discuss Bergson’s unique philosophical career, the contrast (and conflict) with Bertrand Russell, the elusive concept of durée, and what Bergson can offer to modern readers. The listener will also be able to enjoy my painfully American pronunciation of words like Bergson.
You can buy Herald of a Restless World at any of the following links.1
For future interviews, I’ll be moving off of Zoom. The quality of the recording isn’t sufficient, but it is tolerable today.
I had a wonderful time reading Herald of a Restless World and speaking with Dr. Herring. If you’d like to see more conversations like this in the future, let me know. And the best thing you can do is to subscribe to Commonplace Philosophy; by doing so, you’ll be helping me continue this work.
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AMAZING FIND Jared. So excited to get Dr. Herring's book. Russell's History of Western Philosophy, while epic, struck me right away as an objective nightmare. I immediately felt my soul soothed when I dove into Bergson's philosophy (unaware until now how it was culturally lost!). I hold Bergson still, like a memory of my budding soulful self squeezing a soft cuddly stuffed animal on a stormy night as a child. Such a fitting topic culturally, and inspiring authorship.