Henri Bergson

About Henri Bergson

Henri Bergson (1859–1941) was a towering figure in 20th-century continental philosophy, whose ideas profoundly influenced diverse fields beyond his discipline, earning him the Pantheon HPI Rank of #828 globally. His primary intellectual contribution centered on the concept of *durée* (duration), a view of time as continuous, fluid, and lived, in contrast to the spatialized, segmented time of modern science. He explored themes of intuition, creativity, and the vital impulse (*élan vital*), deeply impacting literature, theology, and intellectual thought across Europe and the Americas before World War II.

Despite this significant historical weight, Bergson's modern internet attention is relatively modest. In 2025, his annualized Wikipedia views tallied 207K, placing his online attention at an "Attention Gap" of approximately 1x, suggesting his current digital footprint roughly aligns with his historical standing. However, this perspective shifts when viewed against peers; for instance, fellow philosopher Karl Popper, ranked slightly lower at #919, commanded more than double the attention with 447K views in the same year, highlighting a relative quiet for Bergson online.

Encouragingly, Bergson is currently experiencing a slight resurgence of interest, indicated by a 10.0% year-over-year increase in Wikipedia traffic. This positive trend contrasts, however, with a -9% dip in momentum between the first and third quarters of 2025, suggesting his recent surge may be stabilizing or beginning to wane.