Yes, we can say that the energy needed for intensity in Deleuze and Guattari’s philosophy is closely aligned with what might be called life force—though with some important distinctions. Their concept of intensity resonates with the idea of a vital, immanent energy that underlies all forms of life, processes, and becoming, but it avoids reducing this energy to a mystical or metaphysical notion. Here’s how their perspective connects to and refines the idea of “life force”:
1. Life Force as Immanent and Productive
Deleuze and Guattari’s philosophy sees life not as a pre-defined or transcendent force but as an immanent, self-organizing process. The energy for intensity can be understood as:
• The productive flows of life itself, constantly creating and transforming connections.
• A force that emerges within assemblages (complex systems of bodies, ideas, and environments) rather than existing as a fixed essence.
For example:
• The “life force” in an ecosystem is the interplay of energy flows—sunlight, nutrients, organisms—that sustain and transform it.
2. Vitalism Reimagined
Deleuze (influenced by Bergson) redefines vitalism, distancing it from metaphysical or mystical connotations. Instead:
• Life force is seen as creative evolution: the capacity of life to generate novelty and difference.
• This aligns with Bergson’s concept of élan vital (vital impetus), where life is a continuous process of differentiation and transformation.
Thus, the energy of intensity could be equated with a reimagined vital force: one that is not mystical but instead grounded in material, dynamic, and creative processes.
3. Life Force as Potentiality
Deleuze often ties intensity to the virtual—the field of potentiality that precedes actualization. In this sense:
• Life force is not a static energy but the potential to become: the ability of life to create new forms, relations, and intensities.
• Intensity manifests when potentiality is actualized, but it always carries the charge of something more—an unactualized potential.
For instance:
• The life force of a seed includes its potential to grow into a tree, and the intensities of its growth (breaking through soil, reaching toward sunlight) are actualizations of this potential.
4. Intensity as the Pulse of Life
In A Thousand Plateaus, Deleuze and Guattari often associate intensity with vibrations, rhythms, and flows that can be seen as the “pulse” of life:
• The energy for intensity is the dynamic, rhythmic flow of life itself—its capacity to expand, contract, adapt, and transform.
• This is not limited to biological life but includes all forms of dynamic systems, such as societies, ecosystems, and even abstract concepts.
5. Avoiding Mysticism
While it’s tempting to call intensity “life force,” Deleuze and Guattari avoid mystical or transcendental explanations. For them:
• The energy of life and intensity is always material and immanent. It doesn’t exist as a pre-given “force” but arises through interactions, connections, and processes.
• Life force is better understood as the productive power of differentiation and becoming.
6. Beyond Life: Intensity as a Cosmic Force
Deleuze and Guattari often extend the concept of intensity beyond biological life to encompass cosmic forces:
• Life force can be seen as part of a cosmic dynamism—the flows of matter and energy that structure the universe, from geological formations to social revolutions.
• Intensity is the manifestation of these forces wherever they create difference and transformation.
7. Conclusion: Life Force as a Metaphor for Immanence
We can say that the energy needed for intensity is life force, provided we understand life force in Deleuze and Guattari’s terms:
• It is not a mystical or transcendent force but the immanent, dynamic energy that animates all processes of becoming.
• It is the productive, creative potential of life, matter, and thought to generate new intensities and connections.
This redefined life force is the pulse of existence itself, encompassing not only biological life but all the forces and flows that sustain the continual transformation of the world.
