According to Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, philosophy is the creation of concepts that are tailored to address specific problems and intensify thought. Their view is laid out most explicitly in their book What is Philosophy? (1991). For them, philosophy is neither about contemplation, reflection, nor communication, but an active, creative process that engages directly with life, thought, and the world.
Key Aspects of Philosophy for Deleuze and Guattari
1. Philosophy Creates Concepts
• Philosophy’s primary task is to create concepts that did not previously exist, each tied to a specific context or problem. These concepts are not abstractions but tools for thinking and acting.
• Concepts are not universal; they are born from the specific problematique of their time and context.
• “Philosophy is the art of forming, inventing, and fabricating concepts.”
2. Philosophy Engages with the Plane of Immanence
• Deleuze and Guattari introduce the idea of the plane of immanence, the field on which concepts are created and thought unfolds.
• The plane of immanence is not transcendent or external (as in traditional metaphysics) but is the immanent field of potentiality within which all thinking occurs.
• “Philosophy needs a nonphilosophical comprehension of what it means to think.”
3. Concepts Are Events
• A concept is not a static definition but an event—a dynamic, evolving, and relational entity that captures a specific force or movement in thought. Concepts interact with one another and with the world, forming assemblages rather than isolated categories.
4. Philosophy as Resistance
• Philosophy, for Deleuze and Guattari, resists dogmatic, pre-given truths and engages with the becoming of life. It challenges established frameworks and offers new ways of thinking that disrupt conventional understandings.
• Philosophy is inherently critical and experimental, always seeking to confront and overcome the limits of thought.
5. Philosophy, Art, and Science
• Deleuze and Guattari distinguish philosophy from art and science, although they see them as complementary modes of engagement with the world:
• Philosophy creates concepts.
• Art creates affects and percepts (sensory experiences detached from individuals or objects).
• Science creates functions (quantifiable relations).
• These three modes work on distinct planes—philosophy on the plane of immanence, art on the plane of composition, and science on the plane of reference.
6. Philosophy as a Mode of Life
• Like Foucault’s “aesthetics of existence,” Deleuze and Guattari see philosophy as tied to the creation of ways of living. It is not an abstract pursuit but a mode of engaging with the world that transforms how we live and think.
7. The Philosopher as a Conceptual Persona
• Philosophers are not simply individuals but conceptual personae—figures who inhabit and express particular ways of thinking on the plane of immanence. These personae articulate the problems, desires, and movements of thought in their historical and cultural contexts.
Contrasts with Traditional Philosophy
Deleuze and Guattari reject traditional philosophical approaches that prioritize:
• Representation: Philosophy is not about representing reality or defining what exists; it is about creating concepts that make thought active and transformative.
• Universality: Concepts are not timeless or universal; they are contextual, relational, and experimental.
• Dualism and Transcendence: They reject dualisms (mind/body, subject/object) and metaphysical transcendence, advocating instead for an immanent, processual view of reality.
Deleuze and Guattari’s Philosophy in Your Context
Given your interest in problematique and the metaphysics of van life, Deleuze and Guattari’s understanding of philosophy as the creation of concepts is particularly resonant:
1. Problematique as a Starting Point: Philosophy begins with a pressing problem or wound that demands a conceptual response, much like your emphasis on the centrality of problematiques in philosophy.
2. Van Life as a Conceptual Event: The metaphysics of van life could be seen as a concept that emerges to address specific existential, ethical, and epistemological questions about simplicity, freedom, and existence.
3. Assemblages of Thought: Their idea of concepts as assemblages aligns with your interest in synthesizing multiple modes of thought (existentialism, poststructuralism, psychotherapy, etc.) into a coherent yet dynamic framework.
Deleuze and Guattari’s philosophy invites you to think of your inquiries not as abstractions to resolve but as living, evolving events that generate new possibilities for thought and life.
