The Misuse Of Mind: A Study Bergson's Attack On Intellectualism

The misuse of mind: A study of Bergson's attack on intellectualism examines how fixed patterns of reasoning can limit the ability to grasp reality as it is directly experienced. The work introduces a critique of rigid analytical methods, suggesting that excessive reliance on classification and abstraction distances thought from the fluid nature of lived experience. It highlights how established habits of reasoning encourage certainty but can also prevent deeper insight, since they prioritize neatly defined concepts over the shifting qualities of immediate perception. The text reflects on how intellectual traditions shape expectations, showing that understanding often becomes constrained by familiar terminology rather than guided by what events and sensations reveal in the moment. It proposes that meaningful comprehension requires a willingness to adjust mental habits, embrace intuitive awareness, and acknowledge that thought must sometimes follow the movement of experience rather than confine it. Through its analysis, the book points toward a more flexible approach to inquiry, where attention to continuity, duration, and change allows perception to illuminate what strict logic may overlook.