Bergson's Cone

One notable contrast between Time and Free Will and Matter and Memory is that while the former is critical of the misrepresentation of lived experience by geometrical figures, in the latter Bergson uses them on several occasions to illustrate his theory of Memory. For example, he portrays experience as an inverted cone, with the down-pointing apex representing the Present in its engagement in action upon Matter, and with the base representing the Past, constituted by pure Memory, therewith presenting the emergence of Memory into action as a "descent". However, just prior to this demonstration, he characterizes the Past as an immaterial powerless limbo. Hence, by means of the geometric illustration, he inverts that characterization, recasting Memory as a effective, superior influence upon action, thereby recasting his descriptions to suit his Spiritualism. In other words, by means of the properties of a geometrical figure that he himself has chosen to represent experience, he proves the contrary of what description apparently reveals, and defies the main theme of his earlier work.