While there are similarities between smooth space and the virtual in Deleuze and Guattari’s philosophy, they are not the same concept, though they intersect in meaningful ways. Here’s how they relate and why we might be tempted to equate them, but ultimately must treat them as distinct:
1. Smooth Space in Deleuze and Guattari
• Definition: Smooth space is open, continuous, and characterized by flows, movement, and multiplicity. It resists structure and organization.
• Examples: The desert, the sea, or a nomadic way of life.
• Key Characteristics:
• It is non-hierarchical and decentralized.
• It allows for deterritorialization—escape from rigid boundaries and systems.
• It is in contrast to striated space, which is structured, gridded, and organized (e.g., a city grid or a bureaucratic system).
2. The Virtual in Deleuze
• Definition: The virtual is a realm of potentiality, a reservoir of possibilities that have not yet been actualized. It exists as real but not yet actual.
• Examples: A seed’s potential to become a tree, or the creative possibilities latent in an idea.
• Key Characteristics:
• It is dynamic and generative, constantly giving rise to the actual.
• It is not spatial in the conventional sense but refers to the ontological foundation of becoming.
• It is central to Deleuze’s metaphysics, underpinning his concepts of difference and becoming.
3. The Relationship Between Smooth Space and the Virtual
Smooth space and the virtual intersect conceptually because both:
• Resist Structure: Smooth space resists the rigid organization of striated space, much as the virtual resists being fixed or reduced to a single actualization.
• Enable Creativity and Freedom: Smooth space allows for creative flows and deterritorialization, akin to how the virtual allows for the emergence of new actualities.
• Are Process-Oriented: Both emphasize movement, change, and becoming rather than stasis or fixed states.
4. Why Smooth Space Is Not Equivalent to the Virtual
• Smooth Space is Spatial:
• It is a specific mode of spatial organization and perception. While it resists strict boundaries, it is still concerned with material and social space.
• The Virtual is Ontological:
• It refers to the underlying reality of potentiality that drives all actualization, transcending spatial considerations.
• Smooth Space is Contextual:
• Smooth space arises within specific contexts (e.g., nomadic lifestyles, artistic practices), whereas the virtual underlies all reality, including both smooth and striated spaces.
5. How They Work Together
• Smooth space can be seen as a manifestation of the virtual in the realm of spatial organization. It embodies the potential for creativity, openness, and deterritorialization within specific material and social conditions.
• Striated space, by contrast, represents the actualization of certain structures and boundaries that organize and control flows, often repressing or limiting the virtual potentialities of smooth space.
Conclusion
While smooth space and the virtual share affinities in their resistance to fixed structures and their emphasis on potentiality, they operate on different conceptual planes:
• Smooth space is a spatial and social concept tied to material flows and perceptions.
• The virtual is an ontological concept underpinning all processes of becoming and actualization.
In short, smooth space might draw inspiration from the virtual, but it is a more localized expression of resistance and potential within specific material and social realities.
