Élan vital is a concept introduced by the French philosopher Henri Bergson in his work Creative Evolution (1907). It refers to a vital force or creative life energy that Bergson believed drives the evolution of living organisms. According to Bergson, this force propels life toward growth, development, and innovation, distinguishing living beings from mere mechanical processes or physical objects.
Unlike traditional evolutionary theories that emphasize random mutation and natural selection, élan vital suggests that life is not merely mechanistic or deterministic but also contains a creative and dynamic element. It reflects a kind of vitalism, a philosophical perspective that life cannot be fully explained by physical or chemical processes alone.
Bergson used élan vital to challenge the mechanistic view of biology and to propose that life evolves in unpredictable, creative ways, continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Although the concept has been largely set aside in modern biology, it remains significant in the history of philosophy for its exploration of life as an active, creative force.
