Some Thoughts About A Thousand Plateaus

Larval Subjects .

This evening we discussed the Becoming-Animal plateau in The New Centre seminar on A Thousand Plateaus.  I emphasize that this was a discussion; for there was little textual commentary or close reading.  In many respects, I think this was a moment of orienting ourselves in this mysterious and difficult work.  In particular, we discussed issues of the theoretical status of D&G’s work and what sort of politics we might find within it.  This is a deeply ambiguous work.  From the first plateau, Rhizome, we’re presented with a critique of the Book as a picture or representation of the world.  We’re told to map rather than trace.  This generates daunting interpretive challenges, for what are we to make of a philosophical work that doesn’t attempt to represent the world (here we might think of Laruelle)?  Indeed, we might ask whether this is a philosophical work at all.  Put differently, what…

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