Gilles Deleuze and Metaphysics

Foreword by Arnauld Villani Contributions by Alberto Anelli, Rocco Gangle, Sjoerd van Tuinen, Joshua Ramey, Daniel Whistler, Adrian Switzer, Gregory Kalyniuk, Thomas Nail, Mary Beth Mader Edited by Alain Beaulieu, Edward Kazarian, Julia Sushytska

Publication date:

24 December 2014

Length of book:

266 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9780739174753

Deleuze remains indifferent to the ambient pathos related to the end of metaphysics and compares the undertakings of destruction, overcoming and deconstruction of metaphysics with the gestures of murderers. He considers himself “a pure metaphysician,” which is rather unique in the contemporary philosophical landscape. What are we to make of this and similar claims? What do they mean in light of the effort made during the last several centuries to overcome, overturn, destroy, or deconstruct metaphysics? If we consider Deleuze’s work more closely, might find him engaging in the kind of thinking that is commonly referred to as metaphysical? And if Deleuze is indeed a metaphysician, does this undercut the many insightful contributions of the twentieth century philosophers who dedicate their thought to bringing down Western metaphysical tradition? Or does it suggest that there is a sense of metaphysics that should nevertheless be preserved? These and similar questions are addressed in this volume by a series of international scholars. The goal of the book is to critically engage an aspect of Deleuze’s thought that, for the most part, has been neglected, and to understand better his “immanent metaphysics.” It also seeks to explore the consequences of such an engagement.

Chapter 1: Leaving Metaphysics? Deleuze on the Event, Alberto Anelli
Chapter 2: Mathematics, Structure, Metaphysics: Deleuze and Category Theory, Rocco Gangle
Chapter 3: Difference and Speculation: Heidegger, Meillassoux, and Deleuze
on Sufficient Reason, Sjoerd van Tuinen
Chapter 4: The Physics of Sense: Bruno, Schelling, Deleuze, Joshua Ramey and Daniel Whistler
Chapter 5: The Obscure Metaphysics of Gilles Deleuze, Julia Sushytska
Chapter 6: Deleuze and Badiou on Being and the Event, Alain Beaulieu
Chapter 7: Disanalogous Being: Deleuze, Spinoza, and Univocal Metaphysics, Adrian Switzer
Chapter 8: Crowned Anarchies, Substantial Attributes, and the Transcendental
Problem of Stupidity, Gregory Kalyniuk
Chapter 9: Revolution and the Return of Metaphysics, Thomas Nail
Chapter 10: Whence Intensity? Deleuze and the Revival of a Concept, Mary Beth Mader

Gilles Deleuze famously declared himself to be a "pure metaphysician" in an era when philosophy seemed preoccupied by the theme of overcoming metaphysics. As a consequence, perhaps, we have scarcely begun to explore the implications of the immanent metaphysics that Deleuze developed almost half a century ago. Alain Beaulieu, Edward Kazarian, and Julia Sushytska have here brought together an extraordinary collection of philosophers to explore the complex dimensions of Deleuze's project, from its mathematical roots to its political ramifications. The result is an extremely important volume that opens up new vistas on one of the fundamental aspects of Deleuze's philosophy.