---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am also greatly indebted to Bergson…"
description: "\"I am also greatly indebted to Bergson, William James, and John Dewey. One of my preoccupations has been to rescue their type of thought from the charge..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/alfred-north-whitehead-836_has-beens_i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-wi_1206927.jpg"
---

#  I am also greatly indebted to Bergson, William James, and…

![“I am also greatly indebted to Bergson, William James, and John Dewey. One of my preoccupations has been to rescue their type of thought from the charge of anti-intellectualism, which rightly or wrongly has been associated with it.” quote by Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/alfred-north-whitehead-836_has-beens_i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-wi_1206927.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/alfred-north-whitehead-836_has-beens_i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-wi_1206927.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/alfred-north-whitehead-836_has-beens_i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-wi_1206927.jpg)

> “I am also greatly indebted to Bergson, William James, and John Dewey. One of my preoccupations has been to rescue their type of thought from the charge of anti-intellectualism, which rightly or wrongly has been associated with it.”

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Whitehead seeks to defend the intellectual tradition of Bergson, James, and Dewey against accusations of anti‑intellectualism.

**In simple terms:** He defends their ideas from anti‑intellectual criticism.

Key Takeaway

Support nuanced philosophical discourse.

Themes

philosophy intellectual history education

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- academic curricula
- public debates
- intellectual culture

Key Concepts

process philosophy pragmatism anti‑intellectualism

Questions to Reflect On

- Why are these thinkers labeled anti‑intellectual?
- How can their ideas be made accessible?

A Different Perspective

Complex ideas can be misunderstood by lay audiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Intellectualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectualism/)

## Related quotes

> [Whatever I do today is the whole continuum of my experience. Like John Dewey said in his book ‘Art as Experience,’ you can’t separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-lateef/whatever-i-do-today-is-the-whole-continuum-of-my-experience-like-john/)

[Yusef Lateef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-lateef/)

> [“We may take as our guide, here, John Dewey's observation that the content of a lesson is the least important thing about learning. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-may-take-as-our-guide-here-john-dewey-s-observation-that-the/)

[Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/)

> [In roughly the last century, important experiments have been launched by such charismatic educators as Maria Montessori, Rudolf Steiner, Shinichi Suzuki, John Dewey, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/in-roughly-the-last-century-important-experiments-have-been-launched/)

[Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/)

> [John Dewey reminded us that the value of what students do 'resides in its connection with a stimulation of greater thoughtfulness, not in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfie-kohn/john-dewey-reminded-us-that-the-value-of-what-students-do-resides-in/)

[Alfie Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfie-kohn/)

> [“To those who suspect that intellect is a subversive force in society, it will not do to reply that intellect is really a safe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hofstadter/to-those-who-suspect-that-intellect-is-a-subversive-force-in-society/)

[Richard Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hofstadter/)

> [“John Dewey (1859–1952), among the foremost progressive thinkers. Dewey, like Croly and Wilson, among others, claimed that progressivism was, in essence, a science-based pragmatism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/john-dewey-1859-1952-among-the-foremost-progressive-thinkers-dewey/)

[Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/)

> [“freedom is not less endangered if attacked in the name of anti-Fascism than in that of outright Fascism.1 This truth has been so forcefully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/freedom-is-not-less-endangered-if-attacked-in-the-name-of-anti/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [“Public education does not serve a public. It creates a public. And in creating the right kind of public, the schools contribute toward strengthening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/public-education-does-not-serve-a-public-it-creates-a-public-and-in/)

[Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/)

> [I had a great education. From kindergarten to John Dewey High School in Coney Island, I am public-school educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-had-a-great-education-from-kindergarten-to-john-dewey-high-school/)

[Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/)

> [“We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience. —John Dewey,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/we-do-not-learn-from-experience-we-learn-from-reflecting-on/)

[Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/)

> [“All of this is good but great teachers engineer learning experiences that maneuver the students into the driver's seat and then the teachers get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-of-this-is-good-but-great-teachers-engineer-learning-experiences/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think—rather to improve our minds, so as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-byster/the-aim-of-education-should-be-to-teach-us-rather-how-to-think-than-2/)

Mike Byster

> [Who was the founder of American education? John Dewey - you know that very well - card-carrying Communist. The American education system, in America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-cruz/who-was-the-founder-of-american-education-john-dewey-you-know-that/)

[Rafael Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-cruz/)

> [“In the main, the trouble with American education is that we have put into practice the educational philosophy expounded by John Dewey and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-m-goldwater/in-the-main-the-trouble-with-american-education-is-that-we-have-put/)

[Barry M. Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-m-goldwater/)

> [“It is 100 years since John Dewey began arguing for the kind of change that would move schools away from authoritarian classrooms with abstract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/it-is-100-years-since-john-dewey-began-arguing-for-the-kind-of-change/)

[Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/)

## More by Alfred North Whitehead

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Philosophy begins in wonder. And, at the end, when philosophic thought has done its best, the wonder remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/philosophy-begins-in-wonder-and-at-the-end-when-philosophic-thought/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The pursuit of mathematics is a divine madness of the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-pursuit-of-mathematics-is-a-divine-madness-of-the-human-spirit/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Without adventure all civilization is full of decay. Adventure rarely reaches its predetermined end. Columbus never reached China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/without-adventure-all-civilization-is-full-of-decay-adventure-rarely/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Aristotle discovered all the half-truths which were necessary to the creation of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/aristotle-discovered-all-the-half-truths-which-were-necessary-to-the/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [On the ostensible exactitude of certain branches of human knowledge, including mathematics. The exactness is a fake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/on-the-ostensible-exactitude-of-certain-branches-of-human-knowledge/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [It is this union of passionate interest in the detailed facts with equal devotion to abstract generalisation which forms the novelty in our present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/it-is-this-union-of-passionate-interest-in-the-detailed-facts-with/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Our minds are finite, and yet even in these circumstances of infinitude we are surrounded by possibilities that are infinite, and the purpose of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/our-minds-are-finite-and-yet-even-in-these-circumstances-of/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The many become one and are increased by one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-many-become-one-and-are-increased-by-one/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/art-is-the-imposing-of-a-pattern-on-experience-and-our-aesthetic/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The future belongs to those who can rise above the confines of the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-future-belongs-to-those-who-can-rise-above-the-confines-of-the/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Common sense is genius in homespun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/common-sense-is-genius-in-homespun/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Everyone is a philosopher. Not everyone is good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/everyone-is-a-philosopher-not-everyone-is-good-at-it/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Do not teach too many subjects and what you teach, teach thoroughly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/do-not-teach-too-many-subjects-and-what-you-teach-teach-thoroughly/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them. Operations of thought are cavalry charges in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

[Explore all 356 Alfred North Whitehead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

## More Has beens quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/)

[Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/)

> [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/)

[Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/)

> [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/)

[Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/)

[Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/)

> [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/)

[Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

Browse all 17,972 Has beens quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I am also greatly indebted to Bergson, William James, and John Dewey. One of my preoccupations has been to rescue their type of thought from the charge of anti-intellectualism, which rightly or wrongly has been associated with it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alfred North Whitehead"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-william-james-and-john-dewey/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Has beens"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-william-james-and-john-dewey/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/alfred-north-whitehead-836_has-beens_i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-wi_1206927.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/alfred-north-whitehead-836_has-beens_i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-wi_1206927.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/alfred-north-whitehead-836_has-beens_i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-wi_1206927.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I am also greatly indebted to Bergson, William James, and John Dewey. One of my preoccupations has been to…” — Alfred North Whitehead",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alfred North Whitehead",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I am also greatly indebted to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-william-james-and-john-dewey/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-william-james-and-john-dewey/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
