For life is tendency, and the essence of a tendency is to develop in the form of a sheaf, creating, by its very growth, divergent directions among which its impetus is divided.
Henri BergsonRead
I believe that the time given to refutation in philosophy is usually time lost. Of the many attacks directed by many thinkers against each other, what now remains? Nothing, or assuredly very little. That which counts and endures is the modicum of positive truth which each contributes. The true statement is, of itself, able to displace the erroneous idea, and becomes, without our having taken the trouble of refuting anyone, the best of refutations.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Bergson argues that focusing on refuting opposing ideas in philosophy is often unproductive; instead, it is more valuable to contribute positive truths.
In this quote, Henri Bergson suggests that much of the philosophical discourse centered around debunking other thinkers' ideas may ultimately yield little lasting impact. Rather than getting caught up in disputes, he emphasizes the importance of contributing new, positive insights that can stand on their own merit. This approach not only highlights the value of constructive contributions but also implies that truth has an inherent ability to overshadow falsehood without needing direct confrontation.
Themes
PhilosophyTruthRefutationPositive ContributionWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a philosophical debate to steer the conversation towards constructive discussions rather than criticisms.
More from Henri Bergson
All quotes →To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.
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Laughter is the corrective force which prevents us from becoming cranks.
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Religion is to mysticism what popularization is to science
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And I also see how this body influences external images: it gives back movement to them.
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There are manifold tones of mental life, or, in other words, our psychic life may be lived at different heights, now nearer to action, now further removed from it, according to the degree of our attention to life.
Henri BergsonRead
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H. L. MenckenRead
There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says 'Morning, boys. How's the water?' And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes 'What the hell is water?'
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Slavery was a long slow process of dulling.
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Every man [human being] is an heir to a legacy of dignity and worth
Martin Luther King, Jr.Read
The interviewer should just tell me the words he wants me to say and I’ll repeat them after him. I think that would be so great because I’m so empty I just can’t think of anything to say.
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I never wish to be easily defined. I’d rather float over other people’s minds as something strictly fluid and non-perceivable; more like a transparent, paradoxically iridescent creature rather than an actual person.
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