Science and Dialectics in the Philosophies of Deleuze, Bachelard and DeLanda

James Williams

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    15 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This article charts differences between Gilles Deleuze's and Gaston Bachelard's philosophies of science in order to reflect on different readings of the role of science in Deleuze's philosophy, in particular in relation to Manuel DeLanda's interpretation of Deleuze's work. The questions considered are: Why do Gilles Deleuze and Gaston Bachelard develop radically different philosophical dialectics in relation to science? What is the significance of this difference for current approaches to Deleuze and science, most notably as developed by Manuel DeLanda? It is argued that, despite its great explanatory power, DeLanda's association of Deleuze with a particular set of contemporary scientific theories does not allow for the ontological openness and for the metaphysical sources of Deleuze's work. The argument turns on whether terms such as ‘intensity’ can be given predominantly scientific definitions or whether metaphysical definitions are more consistent with a sceptical relation of philosophy to contemporary science.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)98-114
    Number of pages17
    JournalParagraph
    Volume29
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2006

    Keywords

    • Science
    • Dialectics
    • Continuity
    • Discontinuity
    • Explanation
    • Progress
    • Critique
    • Transcendental philosophy

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