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Matter and Memory — perception, body, and the theory of memory
Verdict: Save this dense, technical study until duration and Bergson’s method are familiar. It is the advanced step for readers interested in the mind–body relation.
- Author
- Henri Bergson
- Translators
- N. M. Paul & W. S. Palmer
- Edition
- Zone Books, 1990; distributed by Princeton University Press
- ASIN
- 0942299051
- Difficulty
- Advanced · primary text
Zone/Princeton print edition recommended. Check Amazon for current price and stock.
What it is
This 1896 work studies the mind–body relation, perception, and memory, including the theory often represented by the “memory cone.” It corresponds to “busshitsu” on the Japanese sister site.
The central questions
The book asks how perception, the body, and memory relate without reducing the problem to a simple opposition. It is denser and more technical than Time and Free Will.
Why read it
1. It tackles the mind–body relation
The question is approached through perception and memory.
2. It develops the theory of memory
Memory is central rather than an appendix to the account of perception.
3. It is the advanced primary text
The earlier books supply the conceptual footing this denser argument needs.
Edition and stock note
The Zone/Princeton paperback is the standard modern scholarly edition and the print edition recommended here. Some resellers label it “out of print,” so stock must be re-verified at deploy and checked before purchase. A Kindle edition exists under ASIN B004ULVGJ4, but the supplied notes identify it as a poor OCR scan, so this page deliberately directs readers to print.
This review is limited to the supplied subject, difficulty, edition, and stock notes. It makes no first-hand reading claim.