Ji6 bergson's conception of time. 



facts of experience two things of which we have no experience: 

 (i).An effect before the cause; (2) a past and future simul- 

 taneous with the present. 



But " time is nothing but the ghost of space haunting the 

 reflective consciousness," says Bergson. Using the same 

 poetic licence, may we not rather say that it is the solid shadow 

 of a space that is real, projected on the receptive consciousness 

 of man ? 



It may be called the measure of the duration of a movement 

 which takes place in space. There will be a harmony, a pro- 

 portion, some dependence between time and space; but the) 

 must not be confused; for there are changes which can only 

 take place when there is sufficient time in which to perform 

 tjiem, and no amount of space can be a sufficient substitute 

 /or the required time. Take the case brought forward as an 

 example by Bergson, that of the sugar melting in a glass of 

 water. Provide .the most ample glass, make it a reservoir if 

 you like, but you will not then escape the necessity of waiting 

 until the customary time has passed, moment by moment. There- 

 are changes which take place in periods of time which are s< 

 steadfast that the moment can be predicted when the movement 

 of change will end. Sometimes different movements as measured 

 by time will take place within the same space. The fact that 

 we can predict them successfully shows clearly that time is 

 something more than a bastard space. 



True, time is as a rule conveniently represented by symbols 

 of space ; but this only means that space is a condition of all 

 that can be known through the senses. But if you wish to see 

 how fatal any confusion of the two ideas becomes, consider 

 Zeno's problem of Achilles and the tortoise. Treat time and 

 space in exactly the same way and you will come to the conclu- 

 sion that Achilles can never overtake the tortoise. As a matter of 

 fact he will overtake the tortoise in a very short time. You 

 may divide up the space between the runner and the tortoise 

 an infinite number of times, if you will. But whilst you aro 

 using the knife on space, Achilles is moving on in time to over- 

 take both the knife and the tortoise, which would seem to prove 

 that time has a way of its own, whatever the operations you may 

 choose to perform on space. 



But what of the difference from the point of view of time, 

 that Bergson endeavours to establish between the living and the 

 non-living? In so far as the living organism has its extension 

 in space, it seems to be in exactly the same position with regard 

 to time, as the inorganic. Both are " gnawed into " by the tooth 

 of time: the solid block of granite and the delicate tones of the 

 prima-donna. Inanimate things are, if anything, at a disad- 

 vantage, since they have no defence against the ravages of 

 time, though on the other hand they change more slowly, and 

 they usually have a longer duration. The same duration of time 



