A defence of Deleuze's philosophy of multiplicity
Gilles Deleuze's Difference and Repetition culminates in the following claim: 'A single and same voice for the whole thousand-voiced multiple, a single and same Ocean for all the drops, a single clamour of Being for all beings'.1 The claim combines a notion of the multiple and various, with a notion of the single and the same. Alain Badiou's provocative stance is that 'Deleuze's fundamental problem is most certainly not to liberate the multiple but t6 submit thinking to a renewed concept of the One.'2 My thesis is that Deleuze is a philosopher of multiplicity. I offer a uniquely close and systematic reading of Difference an(1 Repetition (D&R) through the lens of Deleuze's concept of multiplicity. I argue that Deleuze's own explicit avowal of the philosophy of the multiple can be equated to the privilege that he grants to 'difference': 'Difference is behind everything, but behind difference there is nothing' (57). The thesis charts the same path as D&R through an alternative history of the philosophy of difference but illuminates Deleuze's text by reference to philosophical resources outside the frame of Deleuzian discourse. For Deleuze, multiplicity is to be interpreted in the special sense derived from the
Mayell, Charles Victor
A defence of Deleuze's philosophy of multiplicity. Gilles Deleuze's Difference and Repetition culminates in the following claim: 'A single and same voice for the whole thousand-voiced multiple, a single and same Ocean for all the drops, a single clamour of Being for all beings'.1 The claim combines a notion of the multiple and various, with a notion of the single and the same. Alain Badiou's provocative stance is that 'Deleuze's fundamental problem is most certainly not to liberate the multiple but t6 submit thinking to a renewed concept of the One.'2 My thesis is that Deleuze is a philosopher of multiplicity. I offer a uniquely close and systematic reading of Difference an(1 Repetition (D&R) through the lens of Deleuze's concept of multiplicity. I argue that Deleuze's own explicit avowal of the philosophy of the multiple can be equated to the privilege that he grants to 'difference': 'Difference is behind everything, but behind difference there is nothing' (57). The thesis charts the same path as D&R through an alternative history of the philosophy of difference but illuminates Deleuze's text by reference to philosophical resources outside the frame of Deleuzian discourse. For Deleuze, multiplicity is to be interpreted in the special sense derived from the
defence deleuze philosophy multiplicity gilles_deleuze difference repetition culminate follow claim single voice whole thousand voiced multiple single ocean drop single claim combine notion multiple various notion single same provocative stance deleuze fundamental_problem certainly liberate multiple submit thinking renew concept deleuze philosopher multiplicity offer uniquely close systematic reading difference repetition lens deleuze concept multiplicity argue deleuze explicit philosophy multiple equate privilege grant difference difference behind everything behind difference nothing chart path alternative history_philosophy difference illuminate deleuze text reference philosophical resource outside frame deleuzian discourse deleuze multiplicity interpret special sense derive