The Philosophy of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari
ABSTRACT: In academic philosophy the writings of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari are still treated as curiosities and their importance for philosophical discussions is not recognized. In order to remedy this, I demonstrate how the very concept of philosophy expounded by the two contributes to philosophical thinking at the end of the twentieth century while also providing a possible line of thought for the next millenium. To do this, I first emphasize the influence of Deleuze's thinking, while also indicating the impact Guattari had on him. This account will therefore show Deleuze's attempts before Guattari to concieve of a non-dialectic philosophy of becoming. I will turn to rethink this approach given the influence of Guattari and his anti-psychoanalytic analysis of territorial processes. The result is a conception of philosophical activity as an act of 'becoming minor'.(1)
1. Introduction
In the following I would like to talk about a topic that has been treated very little in academic philosophy. The works of GILLES DELEUZE - and not to forget his co-author, FÉLIX GUATTARI - are still treated as 'curiosities' and their importance for philosophical discussions is not recognized. (2) In opposition to this, I will show what the very concept of philosophy means to these two thinkers.
In doing this I will start with the more theoretical backround. As many others have already I will stress the decisive influence of DELEUZE'S thinking, but I will also try to indicate the impact GUATTARI had on him. This account will therefore show DELEUZE'S attempts - before GUATTARI - to concieve of a non-dialectic philosophy of becoming. After that I will turn to the rethinking of such an approach given the influence of GUATTARI and his anti-psychoanalytic analysis of territorial processes. The outcome will be the resulting conception of the philosophical activity as an act of 'becoming-minor'.
2. GILLES DELEUZE Philosophy of Difference - Against Dialectics
GILLES DELEUZE'S early philosophy is dominated by the project of attaining a kind of philosophy that can be characterized best by naming its very enemy: dialectics. Whether as a 'school' of philosophy (including the leading figures in France, KOJÈVE and SARTRE) or as an ontological approach to the world itself, which implies - no matter if in the Hegelian or Platonic version - a fundamental dualism. (In PLATO the difference between the sensual and intellectual world, in HEGEL'S dialectics the 'sublation' [Aufhebung] of real differences in the world through the synthesizing faculty of the mind qua negation).
...s the superiority of the former to the latter; in the second case, he greatly decreases the distance between the two groups and the level of superiority that Brazilians have over Europeans. Finally, his essay, as a whole, ultimately reinstates a great distance between the two groups, and Europeans reclaim superiority over Brazilians. Notably, in the first two cases, nature is also elevated above art, but art finally subjugates nature. Perhaps this is because Montaigne identifies with “Lycurgus and Plato… [who] could [not] believe that our society could be maintained with so little artifice and human solder” (153). Montaigne’s essay suggests that he relies on the artifice of his writing and interpretations to explore and define social groups, explore and establish social hierarchies, and maintain social order in a manner that ultimately favors him and his people.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau has been referred to as the father of the romanticism movement due to his philosophical writings challenging the status quo at the time. To help set the cultural scene surrounding him, he lived in Paris just prior to the French Revolution where turmoil was in the atmosphere. During this time in France’s history monarchs reigned, the Catholic Church was the leading religion, and those who were considered commoners were viewed as less than human. I believe Rousseau’s environment led him to ponder and write about assumptions regarding human nature, the government’s role in relation to humans, types of will people have, and educational methods. His works had some comparative and contrasting features
Diction shows the difference in Meursault’s views and beliefs as he spends more and more time in prison, adapts to his new lifestyle, and understands the future of his life. Camus diction displays Meursault’s change toward growth in self-reflection, realization of the purposelessness of his life, and unimportance of time.
Dexter has no clear memory of his biological family, but was very close with his adoptive family, the Morgans. The start of his abnormal behavior probably started when he was three years old. Dexter and his biological brother, Brian, were trapped in a storage container located in the docks of Miami for two days. They sat in two inches of blood and were surrounded by corpses, one of them being their biological mother. Both brothers witnessed her murder, causing them to suffer both emotional and psychological damage. The decapitation and mutilation of their mother’s body may have led to Dexter’s method of removing a body. After being adopted by the Morgans, Dexter’s adoptive father, Harry, realized Dexter was killing animals when he discovered a grave site. Throughout Dexter’s teenage years, Harry taught Dexter “The Code,” a set of rules for Dexter to follow to control his urges to kill on those who deserve to die. Harry later passes away and in Dexter’s adult years, he continues to follow Harry’s code and goes after people who have escaped justice. He kills to satisfy an inner voice called “The Dark Passenger.” During each kill, he collects a small blood sample onto a medical slide as a souvenir. (Dexter’s Serial Killer Profile, 2011).
Before Impressionism came to be a major movement (around 1870-1800s), Neoclassical and Romanticism were still making their impacts. Remembering last week’s lesson, we know that both those styles were different in the fact that one was based on emotion, while the other was practical and serious. However, one thing they both shared was the fact that the artists were trying to get a message across; mostly having to do with the effects of the French Revolution, and/or being ordered to do so. With Impressionism, there is a clear difference from its predecessors.
Many children are diagnosed with a “neurobehavioral disorder” known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) it affects approximately five to ten percent of children around the world (Kolar, Kelleer, Golfinopoulos, Cumyn, Syer, Hechtman). What some people do not know is that it continues throughout a person’s adulthood. ADHD affects approximately six percent of the adult population (Kolar, Kelleer, Golfinopoulos, Cumyn, Syer, Hechtman). Treatment for this disorder is of course medication. The question is, is this an effective way to treat both children and adults? I believe that ADHD medication is an effective treatment for ADHD in children and pre-teens, but is less effective in adults.
Michel Foucault presents those revolutionary sorts of analyses that are rich not only for their content but for their implications and novel methodological approach. Just beyond the surface of his works lies such philosophical wealth that one can be overwhelmed by considerations of which vein to mine first, and what to make of the elements therefrom extracted.
Rene Descartes decision to shatter the molds of traditional thinking is still talked about today. He is regarded as an influential abstract thinker; and some of his main ideas are still talked about by philosophers all over the world. While he wrote the "Meditations", he secluded himself from the outside world for a length of time, basically tore up his conventional thinking; and tried to come to some conclusion as to what was actually true and existing. In order to show that the sciences rest on firm foundations and that these foundations lay in the mind and not the senses, Descartes must begin by bringing into doubt all the beliefs that come to him by the senses. This is done in the first of six different steps that he named "Meditations" because of the state of mind he was in while he was contemplating all these different ideas. His six meditations are "One:Concerning those things that can be called into doubt", "Two:Concerning the Nature of the Human mind: that it is better known than the Body", "Three: Concerning God, that he exists", "Four: Concerning the True and the False", "Five: Concerning the Essence of Material things, and again concerning God, that he exists" and finally "Six: Concerning the Existence of Material things, and the real distinction between Mind and Body". Although all of these meditations are relevant and necessary to understand the complete work as a whole, the focus of this paper will be the first meditation.
To begin describing the rhizome, Deleuze and Guattari first explain it in contrast to the typical mode of thought in American culture. Generally, when deciphering the meaning of something, or anything for that matter, human beings tend to use an arboreal model. In this model, the tree starts as a seed and continues to grow vertically, producing a trunk, then branches. With this method of thinking, all objects, concepts, claimed identities, etc. can be traced back...
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most controversial conflicts in modern history. The expansion of Israel since 1947 is seen as the beginning of the conflict, although its origins go back to the end of the 19th century, when Jewish immigration to Palestine began to increase. Since the start of the conflict, several peace negotiations have been carried out, resulting in variable degrees of success.
ABSTRACT: The discussion of Heidegger's “destructive retrieve” of Aristotle has been intensified in recent years by the publication of Heidegger's courses in the years surrounding his magnum opus. Heidegger's explicit commentary on Aristotle in these courses permits one to read Being and Time with Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and Metaphysics. My paper analyzes a network of differences between the two thinkers, focusing on the relationship between theory and praxis. From Aristotle to Heidegger, there is: (1) a shift from the priority of actuality to the priority of possibility. This shift, I argue, is itself the metaphysical ground of: (2) a shift from the priority of theory to the priority of praxis. This shift is seen most clearly in the way in which (3) Heidegger's notion of Theorie is a modification of his poíesis. The temporal ground of the reversal is seen in (4) Heidegger's notion of transcendence towards the world, and not towards an eternal being.
Finally, ADHD is very common in today’s youth and it is a struggle for the child, parents, and teachers. The causes are still very controversial and none have been proven or “set in stone”. The best way for the child, parents, and teachers to manage this disorder is through a combination of medications and therapy. This disorder is an issue for many children and the effects it has on an individual and the loved ones around them needs to be better understood.
There is a good chance that the child will fall behind in the classroom because of his or her inability to pay attention. Therefore, the child may end up feeling helpless and discouraged. At this point, it is ideal for a parent or teacher to intervene. After the child has been assessed, he or she may be sent to the school counselor for extra attention if the case of ADHD is severe enough. Shari Tarver-Behring and Michael E. Spagna, two authors for Counseling and Human Development, discussed effective methods for aiding children with ADHD in their article, “Counseling With Exceptional Children.” Tarver-Behring and Spagna (2005) suggest that one of the most effective ways of treating children with ADHD involves behavior modification. Children can learn to stay on task more efficiently using positive reinforcement. The authors (2005) specify that a child may benefit from three cognitive strategies that can be taught to the child through behavioral counseling. Teaching a child affected with ADHD to self- monitor, endures allowing the child to use self-reminder statements to increase awareness and control his or her behavior. By counseling a child into practicing self-instruction, he or she may learn to follow self-directed instructions in situations that may cause difficulty. Lastly, a child who is taught to use self-reinforcement can praise and reward himself or herself for good behavior
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In this paper I would like to take a look at the theories of both Claude Lévi-Strauss and Jacques Lacan. I want to do this because I’m interested in how these theories make use of Saussure’s structuralism. I think it could be interesting to compare Lacan’s theory, which is a psychoanalyst theory with Lévi-Strauss, which is a Structuralist theory and see how they used Saussure’s theory for 2 different reasons. Therefore, I aim to first take a look at Lévi-Strauss since he was also a structuralist and then Lacan and finally end with a look at Saussure’s theory.