Excellent. The concept of the transindividual is one of Gilbert Simondon’s most original and profound contributions—and it has far-reaching implications in philosophy, psychology, politics, and technology.
Let’s explore it step by step:
1. What Is the Transindividual?
Definition (Simondon):
The transindividual is the dimension of individuation that occurs between individuals—the relational space where subjectivity, meaning, and collective becoming emerge.
The individual is not complete in itself—it always contains preindividual potential that can only be realized in relation with others.
Thus, transindividuality is:
- Not just intersubjectivity (not merely interaction between ready-made individuals),
- But a co-individuation—where individuals transform through shared affective, symbolic, or technical relations.
2. Three Dimensions in Simondon’s Individuation
|
Dimension |
Description |
|
Preindividual |
The reservoir of potential before form; undetermined |
|
Individual |
A temporary resolution𤤗 structured being |
|
Transindividual |
The field in which individuals relate and evolve together, resolving leftover tensions from the preindividual |
So, the individual never completes its individuation alone. The transindividual is the ongoing social and collective domain that supports further individuation.
3. Transindividual ≠ Social Totality
Simondon does not mean a collective “supra-individual” like a society as a whole. He means:
- A dynamic relational field.
- Emergent from the sharing of unresolved potential (affects, ideas, dreams, labor, etc.).
- Not above individuals, but between and through them.
This is qualitatively different from both:
- Atomistic liberal individualism, and
- Totalizing collectivism (e.g. fascism, Stalinism).
4. Examples of the Transindividual
- Friendship and Love: These are not mere interactions—they co-create new meanings, identities, possibilities.
- Political Movements: The transindividual dimension energizes collective action, not through command but resonance and co-becoming.
- Therapy and Group Work: Psychotherapy is not fixing an individual in isolation—it often reactivates the transindividual through shared language and witnessing.
- Collaborative Creation: In art, science, or technology, breakthroughs often occur when multiple minds co-individuate through shared problems.
5. Influence and Legacy
Simondon’s transindividual deeply influenced:
- Bernard Stiegler – who saw individuation (psychic and collective) as key to addressing the technological condition.
- Gilles Deleuze & Félix Guattari – who extended the notion to assemblages and desiring-machines.
- Yuk Hui – who uses Simondon to argue for multiple forms of technological becoming (cosmotechnics).
- Post-psychoanalytic thinkers – seeing subjectivity as arising in and through transindividual fields (not just drives or ego structures).
6. Why It Matters Today
In a world fragmented by algorithmic individuality, Simondon’s transindividual helps us:
- Rethink subjectivity as relational and co-constituted.
- Understand solidarity not as imposed, but as emerging from shared potential.
- Reimagine politics, education, and therapy as spaces of co-individuation.
- Resist both hyper-individualism and mass standardization.
In One Sentence:
The transindividual is the unfinished becoming of each individual—completed only through participation in the shared, open-ended field of others.
Would you like a diagram showing how preindividual, individual, and transindividual flow into one another? Or how this compares with Winnicott’s “potential space” or Levinas’ “face of the Other”?
