What is Philosophy?
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"The question 'what is philosophy?' can perhaps only be posed late in life, with the arrival of old age and the time for speaking concretely. It is a question posed in a moment of quiet restlessness, at midnight, when there is no longer anything to ask."
Posing that question, Deleuze and Guattari worked together for what turned out to be the last time, to produce a book which can be seen as a condensation of everything they had written before, together and separately. Twenty years on from their endlessly influential Anti-Oedipus, Deleuze and Guattari have lost none of their inspirational radicalism, only deepened it. Their book is a profound and careful interrogation of what it might mean to be a 'friend of wisdom', but it is also a devastating attack on the sterility of what has become, when 'the only events are exhibitions and the only concepts are products which can be sold'.
Philosophy, they insist, is not contemplation, reflection or communication, but the creation of concepts. The first part of the book explores the concept, the 'plane of immanence' in which it can be born and the 'conceptual personae' which can activate it. It concludes with a brilliant account of philosophy's relation to social and economic development, from ancient Greece to the modern capitalist state. Part two considers other forms of thought: science, art, literature and music. By the light of its 'rivals', Deleuze and Guattari illuminate philosophy in all its distinctiveness, displaying the same light-footed erudition whether they are discussing Godel's Theorem, Proust and Pessoa, Mondrian or Boulez.
Written with the energy and inventiveness that marked their earlier collaborations, What is Philosophy? is an enormous achievement. It is a vital book, not only for philosophers but for everyone concerned with the uses of human intelligence in a time when, as the authors remark, sales promotion has replaced critique.
Posing that question, Deleuze and Guattari worked together for what turned out to be the last time, to produce a book which can be seen as a condensation of everything they had written before, together and separately. Twenty years on from their endlessly influential Anti-Oedipus, Deleuze and Guattari have lost none of their inspirational radicalism, only deepened it. Their book is a profound and careful interrogation of what it might mean to be a 'friend of wisdom', but it is also a devastating attack on the sterility of what has become, when 'the only events are exhibitions and the only concepts are products which can be sold'.
Philosophy, they insist, is not contemplation, reflection or communication, but the creation of concepts. The first part of the book explores the concept, the 'plane of immanence' in which it can be born and the 'conceptual personae' which can activate it. It concludes with a brilliant account of philosophy's relation to social and economic development, from ancient Greece to the modern capitalist state. Part two considers other forms of thought: science, art, literature and music. By the light of its 'rivals', Deleuze and Guattari illuminate philosophy in all its distinctiveness, displaying the same light-footed erudition whether they are discussing Godel's Theorem, Proust and Pessoa, Mondrian or Boulez.
Written with the energy and inventiveness that marked their earlier collaborations, What is Philosophy? is an enormous achievement. It is a vital book, not only for philosophers but for everyone concerned with the uses of human intelligence in a time when, as the authors remark, sales promotion has replaced critique.
Félix Guattari (1930-1992) was a French philosopher and psychoanalyst renowned for his collaborative work with Gilles Deleuze. His interdisciplinary approach combined elements of philosophy, psychoanalysis, literary criticism and political theory, making him a pivotal figure in post-structuralist thought. Guattari co-directed the experimental psychiatric clinic of La Borde from 1951 until his death in 1992. His work sought to challenge traditional psychoanalytic and political structures, emphasizing the importance of collective subjectivity and the transformative potential of desire. Guattari's major works include Anti-Oedipus (1972), Kafka: Toward a Minor Literature (1975) and A Thousand Plateaus (1980), co-authored with Deleuze. He also authored several solo works, including Psychoanalysis and Transversality (1972), Molecular Revolution: Psychiatry and Politics (1977), Chaosmosis: An Ethico-Aesthetic Paradigm (1992).