Obbligazione e abitudine. Il concetto di ‘habitude’ ne Les deux sources di Henri Bergson

The interpreters of Henri Bergson’s thought have long analyzed the role that the notion of ‘habit’ plays in the author’s opus, however often leaving out its potential evolution in Les deux sources de la moral et de la religion. In this writing, published in 1932, the question of habit is in fact applied to the issue of obligation and social cohesion, thus coming to assume new and unexpected connotations. The purpose of this essay is to examine the Bergsonian notion of habitude-obligation and relate it with some theoretical perspectives to clarify its role in the 1932’s work. Through an examination of the notions of obligation, habit, virtual instinct, moral imperative, and natural a priori, we will try to put Bergson’s reflection in dialogue with various theories: from Félix Ravaisson to Gabriel Tarde, up to Frédéric Rauh.