Vol. 54 No. 2 (2026): Published June 30, 2025
DOI https://doi.org/10.18799/26584956/2026/2/2151
Metaphysics of late success: a critique of the linear career model from the perspective of Henri Bergson’s philosophy
Relevance. Dominance in HR management of linear career models (exploration–establishment–maintenance–disengagement), which, being an effective management tool, implicitly introduce an ontologically flawed concept of the «spatialization» of time, leading to the alienation of a person from his authentic being and ignoring the phenomenon of «late success». Aim. To substantiate the ontological inconsistency of the four-stage career model from the perspective of Henri Bergson's philosophy and to demonstrate that «late success» is not an anomaly but a manifestation of the authentic nature of human existence. Methods. Critical analysis of management models, philosophical-temporal analysis (reconstruction of Bergsonian concepts of «duration», «élan vital»), phenomenological method, biographical method (analysis of eight cases of prominent individuals who peaked in their career after age 50). Results. The study shows that the linear model, being a particular case of «homogeneous time», does not capture the phenomenology of authentic personal becoming. Using eight biographical cases, it is proved that «late success» is the result of a «release of duration» – accumulated and qualitatively transformed life experience. Lee Iacocca's maxim «finish any institute and just do it» is interpreted as a practical maxim of Bergsonian action, opposing the illusion of the «timeliness» of career stages.
For citation: Sakhnevich S.V. Metaphysics of late success: a critique of the linear career model from the perspective of Henri Bergson’s philosophy. Journal of Wellbeing Technologies, 2026, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 173–184. https://doi.org/10.18799/26584956/2026/2/2151
Keywords:
Henri Bergson, duration (durée), retirement as a simulacrum of inertia, late success, temporality, philosophy of life, four-stage career model
References:
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