Deleuze's seminal text

How to Understand Deleuze's Seminal Text

1. Introduction to Deleuze's Work

   • Deleuze's work is characterized by his interest in the concept of repetition and its relation to difference and repetition.
   • His early text from the 1950s outlines the concept of repetition and sets the foundation for his later work on difference and repetition.

2. Empiricism and Subjectivity

   • Deleuze confronts empiricism with transcendental philosophy in his book "Empiricism and Subjectivity."
   • Empiricism posits that knowledge is synthesized through relations of contiguity, resemblance, and causality within the faculty of imagination.
   • Kant, on the other hand, argues for a pre-individual synthesis that grounds imagination before perception.

3. Transcendental Function and Imagination

   • Kant introduces the concept of the "I think" as the transcendental function that grounds all synthesis.
   • Imagination, as a faculty, is a product of the transcendental process that puts things in space and time for perception.

4. Habit Formation and Repetition

   • Deleuze emphasizes habit formation or repetition as the basis of all experience.
   • He challenges the idea of original identity and explains how identities, principles, and harmonies are formed through repetition.

5. Desert Islands as Metaphors

   • Deleuze uses the metaphor of desert islands to explain the paradox of representation in terms of mythology and science.
   • He suggests that understanding the movement that produces the island allows us to grasp the essence of things without presupposing a transcendental subject.

6. Literature as Interpretation

   • Deleuze considers literature as an attempt to interpret old myths in a creative way.
   • Literature helps us understand the essence of things through a process of repetition and creation.

7. The Second Origin and Essence

   • Deleuze introduces the concept of the second origin, which gives us the law of repetition and series.
   • Essence is seen briefly in the repetitive moments of creation, particularly in literature, where reality is grasped momentarily.

8. Difference and Authentic Novelty

   • Deleuze's exploration of difference in his later studies of being aims to explain representations without representations.
   • The repetition of difference leads to authentic novelty, challenging stereotypical views of modern philosophy.

9. Conclusion

   • Deleuze's text delves into the complexities of repetition, difference, and the essence of reality.
   • By understanding the interplay between mythology and science, literature, and repetition, we can grasp the essence of things in a new light.

By following these steps, you can gain a deeper understanding of Deleuze's seminal text and his philosophical insights on repetition, difference, and the nature of reality.