The Force of the Virtual: Deleuze, Science, and Philosophy
Document Type
Book
Role
Editor
Publisher
University of Minnesota Press
Publication Date
6-9-2010
Abstract
Gilles Deleuze once claimed that “modern science has not found its metaphysics, the metaphysics it needs.” The Force of the Virtual responds to this need by investigating the consequences of the philosopher’s interest in (and appeal to) “the exact sciences.” In exploring the problematic relationship between the philosophy of Deleuze and science, the original essays gathered here examine how science functions in respect to Deleuze’s concepts of time and space, how science accounts for processes of qualitative change, how science actively participates in the production of subjectivity, and how Deleuze’s thinking engages neuroscience. All of the essays work through Deleuze’s understanding of the virtual—a force of qualitative change that is ontologically primary to the exact, measurable relations that can be found in and among the objects of science. By adopting such a methodology, this collection generates significant new insights, especially regarding the notion of scientific laws, and compels the rethinking of such ideas as reproducibility, the unity of science, and the scientific observer.
Suggested Citation
Gaffney, P. (2010). The Force of the Virtual: Deleuze, Science, and Philosophy. University of Minnesota Press. https://doi.org/10.5749/9780816673568
