Will and Vitalism

That neither Bergson nor Whitehead offer a theory of Will reflects, in each case, a prior systematic commitment. Will, as defined here, is Motility, i. e. the deliberate process of setting oneself in motion that diversifies given circumstances. On the basis of Bergson's Spiritualism, Will is a degenerative process, while for Whitehead, for whom all processes are concrescent, Will is a discrescent process. It is, thus, no coincidence that each of these generally recognized Vitalists have difficulty conceiving Growth. Growth entails Diversification, and, as their treatments of Will suggest, the system of neither provides the resources for accommodating Diversification in a constructive mode. In other words, the aversion of each to Motility compromises the Vitalism that it otherwise espouses.