To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly. — Henri Bergson
Created at: April 29, 2025
To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly. — Henri Bergson
Philosophy of Becoming
Bergson’s quote encapsulates his philosophy of 'becoming' rather than static 'being.' In works such as *Creative Evolution* (1907), he argues that life and consciousness are characterized by ongoing flux, not fixed essences. This view aligns with Heraclitus’ famous dictum, 'No man ever steps in the same river twice,' suggesting that existence itself is defined by continuous transformation.
Personal Growth and Maturity
The line emphasizes that change is not only inevitable but essential for maturation. Just as in J.D. Salinger’s *The Catcher in the Rye* (1951), Holden Caulfield’s maturation is portrayed as a painful yet necessary evolution, Bergson asserts that growing up is synonymous with perpetually recreating oneself and adapting to new challenges and insights.
Creative Self-Development
Bergson’s call to 'go on creating oneself endlessly' foregrounds the creative aspect of existence. Virginia Woolf’s *Orlando* (1928) dramatizes a protagonist who literally and figuratively reinvents themselves through centuries and identities, illustrating the endless act of self-creation suggested by Bergson’s philosophy.
Contrast to Static Views of Identity
Against views that see identity as immutable, Bergson insists on the necessity of transformation for authentic existence. Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist view in *Existentialism Is a Humanism* (1946) echoes this sentiment: his claim that 'existence precedes essence' likewise frames the self as something to be made rather than discovered, connecting with Bergson’s dynamic intuition.
Historical and Scientific Context
Bergson wrote during an era of scientific revolutions, when Darwin’s theory of evolution was reshaping how people understood change and progress. *On the Origin of Species* (1859) posited that adaptation and transformation lie at the heart of all life. Bergson applied this evolutionary logic to consciousness and selfhood, making transformation a universal law for both biological and personal being.