The Idea and Practice of Philosophy in Gilbert Simondon, 2023
In this chapter Iwill explore thenature and functionofphilosophy in Simondon from as ingle perspe... more In this chapter Iwill explore thenature and functionofphilosophy in Simondon from as ingle perspective, that of information. The recent development of a branch of philosophynamed "Philosophy of Information" allowsthe framing of this perspective:i tp ermits us to take ar etrospective look at Simondon'sw ork from our current situation, and to appreciate what, in this remarkable work, continues to speak to us with great force and urgency today. 1 Simondon, of course, who died at the end of the 1980s, did not see the recent fruits of the information revolution,but his writings were deeply inspired by cybernetics and the theory of information at its heart. Accordingly, we can readily see Simondon as one of the earliest philosophers of information, who reformed philosophy on the basis of the notion of information in multiple key areas. In what follows, after af irstd iscussion of Simondon'sn otion of information and its place in his thought, Iw ill focus on reforms in two main areas:anew image of philosophy (thought as individuation), and an ew task for philosophy(thei ntegration of philosophya nd culture).T hroughout, what Iw ish to emphasise-as my title indicates-is that for Simondon, information is not simply an object for philosophical study, but an otion that comes to reform what philosophyi tself is and how it is done. In other words, for Simondon, philosophy of information is also philosophy as information.
This article explores the theme of nihilism from the perspective of post-continental philosophy b... more This article explores the theme of nihilism from the perspective of post-continental philosophy by focusing on semiotics and information theory and the question of “meaning” at stake between them. Nihilism is characterised here as an avatar of the counter-Enlightenment tradition. Post-continental philosophy is defined by a positive revaluation of reason, science, and technology, which were critiqued for their nihilistic effects by key continental philosophers. Rather than critiquing nihilism, then, post-continental philosophers have tended to affirm it. This article argues that, despite appearances, such developments in fact allow a deepened response to nihilism, considered as an existential problem. It does so by using Lyotard’s critique of semiotics to show how the kind of linguistic and cultural meaning associated with continental philosophy is itself a kind of nihilism. It then examines Meillassoux’s theory of the meaningless sign and Laruelle’s idea of the secret truth of Herme...
According to Manfred Frank, Gianni Vattimo is the man whose name occurs immediately to one and a... more According to Manfred Frank, Gianni Vattimo is the man whose name occurs immediately to one and all when someone calls for the leading Italian philosopher and intellectual. While much of Vattimos work has been translated into English (he is perhaps best-known for the book The End of Modernity), there has been little critical reaction to this work. Finally, a volume of critical essays has become available in English with the publication of Weakening Philosophy: Essays in Honour of Gianni Vattimo. The volume is edited by Vattimos disciple Santiago Zabala, who also provides an excellent introduction to Vattimo and his philosophy of weak thought (pen-
ISBN (Electronic) 9781409435686 ISBN (Print) 1409435679, 9781409435679 Publication status Publish... more ISBN (Electronic) 9781409435686 ISBN (Print) 1409435679, 9781409435679 Publication status Published 2013 Abstract The idea of the affect-phrase (outlined in essays collected in Misère de la philosophie) is one of the most important of Lyotard’s later philosophy, in so far as it revises, and attempts to give more definition to, a notion central to his earlier thought: the silent phrase. The silent phrase indicates the limits of representation, and testifies to the existence of something unpresentable. My aim here is to explore the nature and significance of the affect-phrase by contextualising it within the framework of an issue arising from The Differend and related works: the problem of testimony. The problem is this: if the Holocaust, or any other specific injustice, is construed as unpresentable, how is bearing witness to it possible? What distinguishes one unpresentable, traumatic historical event, from another? Moreover, Lyotard identifies other, quite different things – such a...
A connection is often made between postmodernism and nihilism, but the full meaning of such a con... more A connection is often made between postmodernism and nihilism, but the full meaning of such a connection is rarely explored. The contemporary Italian philosopher Gianni Vattimo is one of the few philosophers to have devoted much work to explaining this connection. Vattimo extrapolates the relevance of Nietzsche’s theory of nihilism for the postmodern condition, arguing that the concept of the postmodern can only be thought rigorously in relation to the nihilistic destiny of the West. This article explores Vattimo’s postmodern reading of Nietzsche and argues that this reading helps to illuminate (1) the connection between nihilism and the postmodern; (2) the postmodern transformation of nihilism, which was originally a theory of the ails of modernity rather than of postmodernity; and (3) why postmodernists may wish to affirm nihilism rather than take the accusation that postmodernism is nihilistic as a charge that must be refuted. ===== Postmodernism as a mode of thought is often acc...
Jean-François Lyotard's work remains a largely untapped resource for film-philosophy. This ar... more Jean-François Lyotard's work remains a largely untapped resource for film-philosophy. This article surveys four fundamental concepts which indicate the fecundity of this work for current studies and debates. While Lyotard was generally associated with the “theory” of the 1980s which privileged language, signs, and cultural representations, much of his work in fact resonates more strongly with the new materialisms and realisms currently taking centre stage. The concepts examined here indicate the relevance of Lyotard's work in four related contemporary contexts: the renewed interest in the dispositif, new materialism, the affective turn, and speculative realism. The concept of the dispositif (or apparatus) is being rehabilitated in the contemporary context because it shows a way beyond the limiting notion of mise en scène which has dominated approaches to film, and Lyotard's prevalent use of this concept feeds into this renewal. While matter is not an explicit theme in Ly...
This paper seeks to demonstrate that in Lyotard's later works the sublime is posited as ... more This paper seeks to demonstrate that in Lyotard's later works the sublime is posited as a response to nihilism. This demonstration is significantly complicated by the fact that while Lyotard frequently gave the sublime a positive valuation, he also identified it with nihilism. ...
This paper mounts a philosophical defence of Peter Shaffer's 1973 play Equus by interpreting it f... more This paper mounts a philosophical defence of Peter Shaffer's 1973 play Equus by interpreting it from three perspectives: that of Freud, Jung, and Deleuze and Guattari. The latter's concept of becoming-animal is offered as a leading perspective which reveals the deep philosophical significance of the drama, belying the claims of those critics who have dismissed it as bogus or banal. This interpretation also allows Equus to be seen as an exemplary illustration of what Deleuze and Guattari mean by their intriguing concept of becoming-animal, and throws fresh light on this fascinating but difficult notion.
Abstract Camus published an essay entitled 'Nietzsche and Nihilism,'which was l... more Abstract Camus published an essay entitled 'Nietzsche and Nihilism,'which was later incorporated into The Rebel. Camus' aim was to assess Nietzsche's response to the problem of nihilism. My aim is to do the same with Camus. The paper explores Camus' ...
This paper critically examines Deleuze’s treatment of the Nietzschean problem of nihilism. Of all... more This paper critically examines Deleuze’s treatment of the Nietzschean problem of nihilism. Of all the major figures in contemporary continental thought, Deleuze is at once one of the most luminous, and practically a lone voice in suggesting that nihilism may successfully be overcome. Whether or not he is correct on this point is thus a commanding question in relation to our understanding of the issue. Many commentators on Nietzsche have argued that his project of overcoming nihilism is destined to failure because of the affinity between the problem of nihilism and the logic of negation. While Nietzsche wants an absolute affirmation of life, Spinoza’s principle that “all determination is negation,” as well as Hegel’s dialectical conception of negation, suggest that affirmation free of negation is not possible. However, some commentators indicate that Deleuze successfully shows how overcoming nihilism is possible because his “logic of difference” allows for an affirmation which is not dialectically reappropriated by negation. This paper argues that beyond such logical considerations, there are metaphysical and existential reasons why Deleuze’s interpretation of nihilism fails to show that it can be overcome. For Deleuze, the overcoming of nihilism hinges not just on a logic of difference, but on a radical interpretation of Nietzsche’s doctrine of eternal return as “selective being.” Drawing on recent scholarship and on Nietzsche’s own writings I argue that this is not a tenable interpretation, and also, more importantly, that the metaphysical and existential implications of this understanding of eternal return reinstate nihilism at the very point where it is supposedly overcome. Moreover, I argue that there are attendant ethical and political dangers to Deleuze’s position on nihilism.
The Idea and Practice of Philosophy in Gilbert Simondon, 2023
In this chapter Iwill explore thenature and functionofphilosophy in Simondon from as ingle perspe... more In this chapter Iwill explore thenature and functionofphilosophy in Simondon from as ingle perspective, that of information. The recent development of a branch of philosophynamed "Philosophy of Information" allowsthe framing of this perspective:i tp ermits us to take ar etrospective look at Simondon'sw ork from our current situation, and to appreciate what, in this remarkable work, continues to speak to us with great force and urgency today. 1 Simondon, of course, who died at the end of the 1980s, did not see the recent fruits of the information revolution,but his writings were deeply inspired by cybernetics and the theory of information at its heart. Accordingly, we can readily see Simondon as one of the earliest philosophers of information, who reformed philosophy on the basis of the notion of information in multiple key areas. In what follows, after af irstd iscussion of Simondon'sn otion of information and its place in his thought, Iw ill focus on reforms in two main areas:anew image of philosophy (thought as individuation), and an ew task for philosophy(thei ntegration of philosophya nd culture).T hroughout, what Iw ish to emphasise-as my title indicates-is that for Simondon, information is not simply an object for philosophical study, but an otion that comes to reform what philosophyi tself is and how it is done. In other words, for Simondon, philosophy of information is also philosophy as information.
This article explores the theme of nihilism from the perspective of post-continental philosophy b... more This article explores the theme of nihilism from the perspective of post-continental philosophy by focusing on semiotics and information theory and the question of “meaning” at stake between them. Nihilism is characterised here as an avatar of the counter-Enlightenment tradition. Post-continental philosophy is defined by a positive revaluation of reason, science, and technology, which were critiqued for their nihilistic effects by key continental philosophers. Rather than critiquing nihilism, then, post-continental philosophers have tended to affirm it. This article argues that, despite appearances, such developments in fact allow a deepened response to nihilism, considered as an existential problem. It does so by using Lyotard’s critique of semiotics to show how the kind of linguistic and cultural meaning associated with continental philosophy is itself a kind of nihilism. It then examines Meillassoux’s theory of the meaningless sign and Laruelle’s idea of the secret truth of Herme...
According to Manfred Frank, Gianni Vattimo is the man whose name occurs immediately to one and a... more According to Manfred Frank, Gianni Vattimo is the man whose name occurs immediately to one and all when someone calls for the leading Italian philosopher and intellectual. While much of Vattimos work has been translated into English (he is perhaps best-known for the book The End of Modernity), there has been little critical reaction to this work. Finally, a volume of critical essays has become available in English with the publication of Weakening Philosophy: Essays in Honour of Gianni Vattimo. The volume is edited by Vattimos disciple Santiago Zabala, who also provides an excellent introduction to Vattimo and his philosophy of weak thought (pen-
ISBN (Electronic) 9781409435686 ISBN (Print) 1409435679, 9781409435679 Publication status Publish... more ISBN (Electronic) 9781409435686 ISBN (Print) 1409435679, 9781409435679 Publication status Published 2013 Abstract The idea of the affect-phrase (outlined in essays collected in Misère de la philosophie) is one of the most important of Lyotard’s later philosophy, in so far as it revises, and attempts to give more definition to, a notion central to his earlier thought: the silent phrase. The silent phrase indicates the limits of representation, and testifies to the existence of something unpresentable. My aim here is to explore the nature and significance of the affect-phrase by contextualising it within the framework of an issue arising from The Differend and related works: the problem of testimony. The problem is this: if the Holocaust, or any other specific injustice, is construed as unpresentable, how is bearing witness to it possible? What distinguishes one unpresentable, traumatic historical event, from another? Moreover, Lyotard identifies other, quite different things – such a...
A connection is often made between postmodernism and nihilism, but the full meaning of such a con... more A connection is often made between postmodernism and nihilism, but the full meaning of such a connection is rarely explored. The contemporary Italian philosopher Gianni Vattimo is one of the few philosophers to have devoted much work to explaining this connection. Vattimo extrapolates the relevance of Nietzsche’s theory of nihilism for the postmodern condition, arguing that the concept of the postmodern can only be thought rigorously in relation to the nihilistic destiny of the West. This article explores Vattimo’s postmodern reading of Nietzsche and argues that this reading helps to illuminate (1) the connection between nihilism and the postmodern; (2) the postmodern transformation of nihilism, which was originally a theory of the ails of modernity rather than of postmodernity; and (3) why postmodernists may wish to affirm nihilism rather than take the accusation that postmodernism is nihilistic as a charge that must be refuted. ===== Postmodernism as a mode of thought is often acc...
Jean-François Lyotard's work remains a largely untapped resource for film-philosophy. This ar... more Jean-François Lyotard's work remains a largely untapped resource for film-philosophy. This article surveys four fundamental concepts which indicate the fecundity of this work for current studies and debates. While Lyotard was generally associated with the “theory” of the 1980s which privileged language, signs, and cultural representations, much of his work in fact resonates more strongly with the new materialisms and realisms currently taking centre stage. The concepts examined here indicate the relevance of Lyotard's work in four related contemporary contexts: the renewed interest in the dispositif, new materialism, the affective turn, and speculative realism. The concept of the dispositif (or apparatus) is being rehabilitated in the contemporary context because it shows a way beyond the limiting notion of mise en scène which has dominated approaches to film, and Lyotard's prevalent use of this concept feeds into this renewal. While matter is not an explicit theme in Ly...
This paper seeks to demonstrate that in Lyotard's later works the sublime is posited as ... more This paper seeks to demonstrate that in Lyotard's later works the sublime is posited as a response to nihilism. This demonstration is significantly complicated by the fact that while Lyotard frequently gave the sublime a positive valuation, he also identified it with nihilism. ...
This paper mounts a philosophical defence of Peter Shaffer's 1973 play Equus by interpreting it f... more This paper mounts a philosophical defence of Peter Shaffer's 1973 play Equus by interpreting it from three perspectives: that of Freud, Jung, and Deleuze and Guattari. The latter's concept of becoming-animal is offered as a leading perspective which reveals the deep philosophical significance of the drama, belying the claims of those critics who have dismissed it as bogus or banal. This interpretation also allows Equus to be seen as an exemplary illustration of what Deleuze and Guattari mean by their intriguing concept of becoming-animal, and throws fresh light on this fascinating but difficult notion.
Abstract Camus published an essay entitled 'Nietzsche and Nihilism,'which was l... more Abstract Camus published an essay entitled 'Nietzsche and Nihilism,'which was later incorporated into The Rebel. Camus' aim was to assess Nietzsche's response to the problem of nihilism. My aim is to do the same with Camus. The paper explores Camus' ...
This paper critically examines Deleuze’s treatment of the Nietzschean problem of nihilism. Of all... more This paper critically examines Deleuze’s treatment of the Nietzschean problem of nihilism. Of all the major figures in contemporary continental thought, Deleuze is at once one of the most luminous, and practically a lone voice in suggesting that nihilism may successfully be overcome. Whether or not he is correct on this point is thus a commanding question in relation to our understanding of the issue. Many commentators on Nietzsche have argued that his project of overcoming nihilism is destined to failure because of the affinity between the problem of nihilism and the logic of negation. While Nietzsche wants an absolute affirmation of life, Spinoza’s principle that “all determination is negation,” as well as Hegel’s dialectical conception of negation, suggest that affirmation free of negation is not possible. However, some commentators indicate that Deleuze successfully shows how overcoming nihilism is possible because his “logic of difference” allows for an affirmation which is not dialectically reappropriated by negation. This paper argues that beyond such logical considerations, there are metaphysical and existential reasons why Deleuze’s interpretation of nihilism fails to show that it can be overcome. For Deleuze, the overcoming of nihilism hinges not just on a logic of difference, but on a radical interpretation of Nietzsche’s doctrine of eternal return as “selective being.” Drawing on recent scholarship and on Nietzsche’s own writings I argue that this is not a tenable interpretation, and also, more importantly, that the metaphysical and existential implications of this understanding of eternal return reinstate nihilism at the very point where it is supposedly overcome. Moreover, I argue that there are attendant ethical and political dangers to Deleuze’s position on nihilism.
This book offers an incisive argument for the contemporary importance of Lyotard in light of post... more This book offers an incisive argument for the contemporary importance of Lyotard in light of posthuman trends. Jean-Francois Lyotard was one of the leading French philosophers of his generation, whose wide ranging and highly original contributions to thought were overshadowed by his association with 'postmodernism.' This book demonstrates what a new generation of scholars are now discovering: that Lyotard's work is incisive and essential for current debates in the arts and humanities, especially those concerning the posthuman and the information society. The book presents a series of studies which explain Lyotard's specific interventions in areas such as information theory, new media arts, and the changing nature of the human, and assesses their relevance and impact. It brings to light new aspects of Lyotard’s work by focusing on underappreciated themes and connections, particularly around the topics of nihilism, information, and art. Lyotard's thought is positio...
... Keith Crome and James Williams, eds. The Lyotard Reader and Guide Reviewed by. AshleyWoodward... more ... Keith Crome and James Williams, eds. The Lyotard Reader and Guide Reviewed by. AshleyWoodward. Bookmark and Share. This journal is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommerical 3.0 Unported license. ...
... Gianni Vattimo, Dialogue with Nietzsche Reviewed by. Ashley Woodward. Bookmark and Share. Thi... more ... Gianni Vattimo, Dialogue with Nietzsche Reviewed by. Ashley Woodward. Bookmark and Share. This journal is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommerical 3.0 Unported license. Philosophy in Review ISSN 1206-5269 EISSN 1920-8936. ...
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