Intensive Science and Virtual Philosophy
Encyclopedia
Intensive Science and Virtual Philosophy (hereafter referred to as ISVP) is a 2002 book by Manuel De Landa
.
In De Landa's words, the book seeks to present the process-based realist philosophy
of Gilles Deleuze
to an audience of analytical philosophers of science and scientists with an interest in philosophical questions. Specifically, the author explores Deleuze's ontology
, using examples from differential geometry, group theory
and complexity theory
to divide this ontology into three partially overlapping domains, the virtual, the intensive and the actual.
.
-breaking events. There is a notable similarity between multiplicities described as such and morphogenetic field theory
.
, invagination
and folding.
and others as an example of how traces of intensive differences and virtual tendencies emerge in the modelled behaviour of these systems.
Importantly, Deleuze does not place these three domains in a hierarchical relationship, with the abstract being primary, but rather sees them as partially overlapping and informing each other, consistent with his assertion that multiplicities are not to be viewed as essentialist replacements for eternal archetypes but as abstract emergent properties of dynamic systems, informed by and informing the intensive and the actual in a relationship of constant feedback and adaptivity.
Later in the book, De Landa describes Deleuze's conception of time as heterochronous, ie. as consisting of a series of nested presents at different levels of duration, each present representing a single cycle or pulse of a multiplicitous process or assemblage (a heterogeous coupling of multiplicities), eg. a circadian cycle, a metabolic cycle, an atomic oscillation; he also shows that this model of time (which is closely aligned to that of Henri Bergson, a major influence on Deleuze) can be applied to the abstract and the intensive, as well as the extensive.
solutions. (An example of a well formed problem would be that of finding a point of minimal surface tension - a problem solved, for instance, by soap bubbles.)
He furthermore stresses the importance Deleuze placed on 'minor science' (pragmatic laboratory engagement) as opposed to 'royal science' (the prestigious, proscriptive science of the royal academies, etc.) and observes how a minor science tends to place more importance on well formed problems than generalized solutions.
(who was also partly responsible for the creation of several of the above-mentioned concepts but who has been omitted from ISVP because De Landa felt the relevant concepts were continuations of Deleuze's earlier, solo work), describing how Deleuze's ontology, as mapped out in ISVP, is described in each of his major books; for this he creates an ontological list of 7 core components. To paraphrase, these are:
Manuel de Landa
Manuel De Landa, , is a writer, artist and philosopher who has lived in New York since 1975. He is presently the Gilles Deleuze Chair of Contemporary Philosophy and Science at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland; a lecturer at the Canisius College in Buffalo, New York; a lecturer...
.
In De Landa's words, the book seeks to present the process-based realist philosophy
Philosophical realism
Contemporary philosophical realism is the belief that our reality, or some aspect of it, is ontologically independent of our conceptual schemes, linguistic practices, beliefs, etc....
of Gilles Deleuze
Gilles Deleuze
Gilles Deleuze , was a French philosopher who, from the early 1960s until his death, wrote influentially on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes of Capitalism and Schizophrenia: Anti-Oedipus and A Thousand Plateaus , both co-written with Félix...
to an audience of analytical philosophers of science and scientists with an interest in philosophical questions. Specifically, the author explores Deleuze's ontology
Ontology
Ontology is the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence or reality as such, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations...
, using examples from differential geometry, group theory
Group theory
In mathematics and abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as groups.The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as rings, fields, and vector spaces can all be seen as groups endowed with additional operations and...
and complexity theory
Complex systems
Complex systems present problems in mathematical modelling.The equations from which complex system models are developed generally derive from statistical physics, information theory and non-linear dynamics, and represent organized but unpredictable behaviors of systems of nature that are considered...
to divide this ontology into three partially overlapping domains, the virtual, the intensive and the actual.
Deleuze's ontology
The book opens by explaining the immanence of Deleuze's realist philosophy, ie. that it does not rely on essencesEssentialism
In philosophy, essentialism is the view that, for any specific kind of entity, there is a set of characteristics or properties all of which any entity of that kind must possess. Therefore all things can be precisely defined or described...
.
The virtual/abstract
In the first domain, the virtual, essences are replaced with multiplicities, which De Landa describes as 'concrete sets of singularities or attractors (realised as tendencies in physical processes) linked together by bifurcations (realised as abrupt transitions in the tendencies of physical processes)'. These multiplicities are meshed together into a 'heterogeneous virtual continuum', a continuous, immanent, abstract space in which, through various interactions, each multiplicity progressively differentiates into the intensive and then the actual, through a cascade of symmetrySymmetry
Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings. The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically pleasing proportionality and balance; such that it reflects beauty or perfection...
-breaking events. There is a notable similarity between multiplicities described as such and morphogenetic field theory
Morphogenetic field
In developmental biology, a morphogenetic field is a group of cells able to respond to discrete, localized biochemical signals leading to the development of specific morphological structures or organs. The spatial and temporal extent of the embryonic fields are dynamic, and within the field is a...
.
The intensive
The intensive domain is informed by the singularities comprising a multiplicity, and is a domain of flux and qualitative differentiation (eg. the differentiation of neutral cells into blood, bone and muscle cells) where nonmetric, non-exact yet rigorous relationships of ordinality are still primary, as opposed to the metric, quantitative exactitude which accounts for the spatial structuration of the actual, eg. cellular migrationCell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
, invagination
Invagination
Invagination means to fold inward or to sheath. In biology, this can refer to a number of processes.* Invagination is the morphogenetic processes by which an embryo takes form, and is the initial step of gastrulation, the massive reorganization of the embryo from a simple spherical ball of cells,...
and folding.
The actual/extensive
The actual is the familiar domain of fully formed entities where the intensive has been 'hidden' under extensive qualities, ie. the intensive processes driven by singularities/attractors have differentiated into a fully Euclidian geometric space. Deleuze views one of the primary goals of philosophy as uncovering the intensive, and then abstract, dynamisms hidden under the extensive; De Landa refers to the studies of nonequilibrium systems by Ilya PrigogineIlya Prigogine
Ilya, Viscount Prigogine was a Russian-born naturalized Belgian physical chemist and Nobel Laureate noted for his work on dissipative structures, complex systems, and irreversibility.-Biography :...
and others as an example of how traces of intensive differences and virtual tendencies emerge in the modelled behaviour of these systems.
Importantly, Deleuze does not place these three domains in a hierarchical relationship, with the abstract being primary, but rather sees them as partially overlapping and informing each other, consistent with his assertion that multiplicities are not to be viewed as essentialist replacements for eternal archetypes but as abstract emergent properties of dynamic systems, informed by and informing the intensive and the actual in a relationship of constant feedback and adaptivity.
Later in the book, De Landa describes Deleuze's conception of time as heterochronous, ie. as consisting of a series of nested presents at different levels of duration, each present representing a single cycle or pulse of a multiplicitous process or assemblage (a heterogeous coupling of multiplicities), eg. a circadian cycle, a metabolic cycle, an atomic oscillation; he also shows that this model of time (which is closely aligned to that of Henri Bergson, a major influence on Deleuze) can be applied to the abstract and the intensive, as well as the extensive.
Deleuze's epistemology
De Landa also briefly describes Deleuze's epistemology as contingent on 'well formed problems' as opposed to deductive-nomologicalDeductive-nomological
The deductive-nomological model is a formalized view of scientific explanation in natural language. It characterizes scientific explanations primarily as deductive arguments with at least one natural law statement among its premises...
solutions. (An example of a well formed problem would be that of finding a point of minimal surface tension - a problem solved, for instance, by soap bubbles.)
He furthermore stresses the importance Deleuze placed on 'minor science' (pragmatic laboratory engagement) as opposed to 'royal science' (the prestigious, proscriptive science of the royal academies, etc.) and observes how a minor science tends to place more importance on well formed problems than generalized solutions.
Deleuze's words
In the appendix to the book, titled Deleuze's words, De Landa recreates his argument thus far using the idiosyncratic and neologistic terminology of Deleuze and Félix GuattariFélix Guattari
Pierre-Félix Guattari was a French militant, an institutional psychotherapist, philosopher, and semiotician; he founded both schizoanalysis and ecosophy...
(who was also partly responsible for the creation of several of the above-mentioned concepts but who has been omitted from ISVP because De Landa felt the relevant concepts were continuations of Deleuze's earlier, solo work), describing how Deleuze's ontology, as mapped out in ISVP, is described in each of his major books; for this he creates an ontological list of 7 core components. To paraphrase, these are:
- The (abstract) depth or spatium in which intensities are organised. Deleuzian synonyms: 'machinic phylum', 'plane of consistency', 'Body without Organs'.
- The disparate series (multiplicities) these form and the fields of individuation they outline. Deleuzian synonyms: 'vague essences', 'becomings', 'partial objects', 'concepts'.
- The 'dark precursor' (line of flight) which causes them to communicate. Deleuzian synonyms: 'aleatory or paradoxical point', 'desiring machine', 'nonsense', 'object=x', 'quasi-cause', 'conceptual personae'.
- The linkages, resonances and movements which result (the dynamism of this system). Deleuzian synonyms: 'convergence and divergence', 'forced movement'.
- The constitution of 'passive selves' in the system, and the formation of pure spatio-temporal dynamisms (the intensive). Deleuzian synonyms: 'intensive individuals', 'larval subjects', 'monads (from Leibniz).
- The qualities and extensions differentiated into (the actual/extensive). Deleuzian synonyms: 'forms and substances'.
- The centres of envelopment. Deleuzian synonyms: 'codes'.