Bento Prado Jr. between Bergson and Wittgenstein

Abstract

My purpose in this text is twofold: 1) I intend to show that Bento Prado Jr.’s reading of Bergson and Wittgenstein is motivated by the same philosophical question, namely: what is the fate of the Kantian transcendental illusion in contemporary philosophy?; 2) By resuming the comparison between the two authors suggested by Bento, I want to ask two questions: under the apparent proximity between Bergson and Wittgenstein in the treatment of the above-mentioned question, isn’t there is an insurmountable divergence between these authors? In the spirit of Bento’s reading and appropriation of Wittgensteinian philosophy, would it not be necessary to refuse Bergsonism in the name of Wittgenstein's therapeutic conception of philosophy? I want to show that both questions must be answered in the affirmative. This poses a problem for Bento’s reflection on the initial question, since it makes the simultaneous appropriation of Bergson and Wittgenstein seem inconsistent.