Edinburgh University Press Affirming Divergence: Deleuze's Reading of Leibniz (Plateaus - New Directions in Deleuze Studies)

Alex Tissandier argues that an understanding of Deleuze's relationship to Leibniz is essential for a full understanding of his philosophy. Throughout Deleuze's work we find two opposing characterisations of Leibniz. On the one hand Deleuze presents Leibniz as a conservative theologian committed to justifying the order and harmony of a God-governed world. On the other, Leibniz appears as a revolutionary thinker credited with "the most insane concept creation we have ever witnessed in philosophy."Tissandier traces Leibniz's ambiguous status for Deleuze in order to provide a framework for explaining two key ideas in Deleuze's own philosophy: a concept of difference that is not reducible to a relation of contradiction and an account of the genesis of the world that does not presuppose the structure of representation. From the Back Cover 'Affirming Divergence is a deep, rigorous analysis that affirms the centrality of Leibniz for Deleuze's thought, providing a major contribution to our understanding of Deleuze's relationship to the history of philosophy, and to our understanding of his philosophy itself.' Henry Somers-Hall, University of London An account of Leibniz's influence on Deleuze's philosophy Alex Tissandier argues that an understanding of Deleuze's relationship to Leibniz is essential for a full understanding of his philosophy. Throughout Deleuze's work we find two opposing characterisations of Leibniz. On the one hand Deleuze presents Leibniz as a conservative theologian committed to justifying the order and harmony of a God-governed world. On the other, Leibniz appears as a revolutionary thinker credited with 'the most insane concept creation we have ever witnessed in philosophy'. Tissandier traces Leibniz's ambiguous status for Deleuze in order to provide a framework for explaining two key ideas in Deleuze's own philosophy: a concept of difference that is not reducible to a relation of contradiction and an account of the genesis of the world that does not presuppose the structure of representation. Alex Tissandier completed a PhD in philosophy at the University of Warwick in 2014 and is now an independent scholar. Cover image: details of portrait bust of Louis XIV (1638-1715), by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), marble. Versailles, Château De Versailles (c) akg-images / De Agostini Picture Lib. Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-1774-7 Barcode About the Author Alex Tissandier completed a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Warwick in 2014 and is now an independent scholar.