Deleuze and Geophilosophy: A Guide and Glossary

by John Protevi, Mark Bonta, John L. Protevi

This is the first book to use complexity theory to open up the 'geophilosophy' developed by Gilles Deleuze and F lix Guattari in A Thousand Plateaus, Anti-Oedipus and What is Philosophy?.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0748618392
• ISBN13: 9780748618392
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A terrific resource

An absolutely splendid reference for understanding the collaborative work of Deleuze and Guattari. The book is divided into three parts, the first of which is a quick and exhilirating exploration of the link between Deleuze's philosophy and politically informed complexity theory. For this, Bonta and Protevi draw particularly upon the pioneering work of Manuel DeLanda and Brian Massumi. They also, however, synthesize together a whole host of novel thought into an amalgamation they refer to as geophilosophy, a philosophy which looks to the structural and functional similarities between different forms (animal/vegetable/mineral) of matter, on the macro and the micro scales. The second part of this book is the glossary which will be of the most use to those reading A Thousand Plateaus, although Anti-Oedipus is represented as well. This glossary is rigorous and concise, and will greatly ease the difficulty of reading A Thousand Plateaus. It is worth buying this book for the glossary alone even if you are not initially interested in the other work of Bonta and Protevi. The third section is titled, fittingly, "Case Study," and is actually an appendix to the book. There the authors demonstrate the practicality of the theoretical tools they have developed by mapping the interactions of complex systems in a particular region (namely, Olancho). The authors will, in their own words, "produce the elements of a Deleuzoguattarian cartography of Olancho." I'll end this review on that cliffhanger.

A New Earth

Bonta and Protevi manage to do what Deleuze and Guattari couldn't--make their important--but often difficult--philosophy understandable. This post-post-structural approach offers a glimpse at a new heaven and new earth--new ways of understanding the world and everything around us--including the physical and the social, in ways that avoid cenuries of philosophical pitfalls and moves beyond debates on post-structuralism and recent Science Wars. The first section of the book offers a review of Deleuze and Guattari's work, relating it to Deleuze's earlier philosophical writings and an understanding of complexity theory. The second section, the bulk of the book, is a glossary of Deleuzoguattarian terms, helping the reader make sense of their neologisms and better understand the nuances of their rich texts. This book can help academic geographers and other social and physical scientists come to terms with Deleuze and Guattari, and could be used in teaching geophilosophy to advanced undergraduates or graduate students. While geophilosophy is still in its early stages of formulation, this is the best book to introduce this exciting field to those seeking a better understanding of the world--a new heaven and a new earth.