"Elan Vital" is a French phrase with two separate words: "Elan" meaning "vitality" and "Vital" meaning "essential to life". The IPA transcription of "Elan" is [eˈlɑ̃] and "Vital" is pronounced [vitɑl]. The two words together, "Elan Vital", creates a combined meaning of "vitality of life", a philosophy of life and expression. This term is famously used by the French philosopher Henri Bergson in his book "Creative Evolution," where he argues that life is characterized by a creative impulse or "elan vital".
Elan Vital is a philosophical concept that originated from the work of French philosopher Henri Bergson (1859-1941). The term "elan vital" translates to English as "vital impulse" or "vital force." It refers to an inherent life force or vital energy that animates and drives all living things.
According to Bergson, elan vital is a creative force that underlies the evolution and development of life on Earth. It is an impetus that guides the growth and adaptation of organisms, facilitating changes and maintaining their coherence. Elan vital is a dynamic and unpredictable force that surpasses mechanistic explanations of life.
Bergson's concept of elan vital challenges the reductionist perspectives in biology and opposes the idea that life can be solely explained by the physical and chemical processes of matter. He argues that life cannot be reduced to mere mechanistic processes and that there is something intrinsic and unquantifiable that distinguishes living organisms from inanimate objects.
Elan vital is intimately linked to Bergson's concept of duration, which refers to the subjective experience of time. He believes that elan vital is experienced and perceived through intuition and introspection, rather than being understood purely through objective scientific analysis.
In broader terms, elan vital can be understood as a philosophical concept that conveys the profound, mysterious, and immeasurable essence of life itself. It captures the notion that life possesses an indescribable vitality and vitality that cannot be easily explained or defined.
The term elan vital is a French phrase that translates to vital impulse or vital force in English. It was coined by the French philosopher Henri Bergson in his book L'Évolution créatrice (Creative Evolution), published in 1907. The etymology of elan vital comes from the French words élan, meaning impulse or momentum, and vital, meaning related to life or essential.