The Theatre of Production: Philosophy and Individuation between Kant and Deleuze (Renewing Philosophy)

This book provides both a historical analysis of the philosophical problem of individuation, and a new trajectory in its treatment. Drawing on the work of Gilles Deleuze, as well as C.S. Peirce and the lesser-known Gilbert Simondon, Alberto Toscano takes the problem of individuation, as reconfigured by Kant and Nietzsche, into the realm of modernity, providing a unique and vibrant contribution to contemporary debates in European philosophy. Cover 1 Contents 6 Series Editor鈥檚 Preface 8 Acknowledgments 10 Preface 11 Introduction: From the Intelligible to the Genetic 16 The ontology of anomalous individuation 16 Is there a science of the individual? 19 Univocity, haecceity and the birth of the object 22 Individuation and the ontological difference 26 Part I: Kant Beyond Kant, or, The Anomalies of the Organic 32 1 The Paradoxical Object: On Self-Organizing Beings in the Critique of Judgment 34 1.1 The anomaly of self-organization 34 1.2 Defining nature 40 1.3 The object of cognition and the evidence of individuality 42 1.4 Causality and mereology in natural purposes 47 1.5 The Antinomy of Teleological Judgment and its ontological conversion 52 1.6 Analogy, contingency and the technic of nature 55 2 The Fate of Self-Organization: From Natural Machines to the Philosophy of the Organism 59 2.1 Materia soluta, materia ligata: individuation in Kant's Opus Postumum 59 2.2 Autonomy and allonomy: Kant's biophilosophical legacy 70 2.3 Events, prehensions and subjective aim: the philosophy of the organism 75 2.4 Remark on self-organization and transcendental philosophy 93 3 The Method of Nature, the Crisis of Critique: Life, Multiplicity and the Genesis of the Intellect in Nietzsche's Early Notebooks 100 3.1 April 1868 100 3.2 X = X 103 3.3 All unity is relative 109 3.4 Life force = ? 112 3.5 A materialism without matter? 119 Part II: Elements for an Ontology of Anomalous Individuation 122 4 Systems of Habit: Ravaisson, James, Peirce 124 4.1 Habit as a method of nature: ambivalence and paradox 124 4.2 The sedimentation of desire and the canalization of matter: two images of habit 131 4.3 Chance, law, habit (the Monist papers) 138 4.4 'Possibilities beyond all multitude', or, Peirce's Continuum Hypothesis 144 4.5 The return to teleology and the temptations of spontaneity 147 5 Tertium Datur? Gilbert Simondon's Relational Ontology 151 5.1 Relation: disparation versus symbolism 151 5.2 Information: critique of the code 157 5.3 Interaction: beyond determinism and organicism 162 5.4 Transduction: search for a method 166 6 The Drama of Being: Figures of Individuation in Deleuze's Philosophy of Difference 172 6.1 Internal difference and the theory of multiplicities 172 6.2 Structuralism and individuation: static genesis and the paradoxical entity 182 6.3 The rhythms of immanence: haecceity, intensity, subjectivity 190 6.4 Functionalism and the ontology of relations 195 6.5 Asylum Ignorantiae? 202 Conclusion: Becoming Individual 214 Notes 217 References 251 Index of Names 258 A 258 B 258 C 258 D 258 E 258 F 258 G 258 H 259 J 259 K 259 L 259 M 259 N 259 O 260 P 260 Q 260 R 260 S 260 T 260 V 260 W 260 Z 260 Index of Concepts 261 A 261 B 261 C 261 D 261 E 261 F 262 G 262 H 262 I 262 L 262 M 262 N 263 O 263 P 263 Q 263 R 263 S 263 T 263 V 264 W 264 Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Series Editor’s Preface......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Preface......Page 11 The ontology of anomalous individuation......Page 16 Is there a science of the individual?......Page 19 Univocity, haecceity and the birth of the object......Page 22 Individuation and the ontological difference......Page 26 Part I: Kant Beyond Kant, or, The Anomalies of the Organic......Page 32 1.1 The anomaly of self-organization......Page 34 1.2 Defining nature......Page 40 1.3 The object of cognition and the evidence of individuality......Page 42 1.4 Causality and mereology in natural purposes......Page 47 1.5 The Antinomy of Teleological Judgment and its ontological conversion......Page 52 1.6 Analogy, contingency and the technic of nature......Page 55 2.1 Materia soluta, materia ligata: individuation in Kant's Opus Postumum......Page 59 2.2 Autonomy and allonomy: Kant's biophilosophical legacy......Page 70 2.3 Events, prehensions and subjective aim: the philosophy of the organism......Page 75 2.4 Remark on self-organization and transcendental philosophy......Page 93 3.1 April 1868......Page 100 3.2 X = X......Page 103 3.3 All unity is relative......Page 109 3.4 Life force = ?......Page 112 3.5 A materialism without matter?......Page 119 Part II: Elements for an Ontology of Anomalous Individuation......Page 122 4.1 Habit as a method of nature: ambivalence and paradox......Page 124 4.2 The sedimentation of desire and the canalization of matter: two images of habit......Page 131 4.3 Chance, law, habit (the Monist papers)......Page 138 4.4 'Possibilities beyond all multitude', or, Peirce's Continuum Hypothesis......Page 144 4.5 The return to teleology and the temptations of spontaneity......Page 147 5.1 Relation: disparation versus symbolism......Page 151 5.2 Information: critique of the code......Page 157 5.3 Interaction: beyond determinism and organicism......Page 162 5.4 Transduction: search for a method......Page 166 6.1 Internal difference and the theory of multiplicities......Page 172 6.2 Structuralism and individuation: static genesis and the paradoxical entity......Page 182 6.3 The rhythms of immanence: haecceity, intensity, subjectivity......Page 190 6.4 Functionalism and the ontology of relations......Page 195 6.5 Asylum Ignorantiae?......Page 202 Conclusion: Becoming Individual......Page 214 Notes......Page 217 References......Page 251 G......Page 258 N......Page 259 Z......Page 260 E......Page 261 M......Page 262 T......Page 263 W......Page 264 The past few years have seen a resurgence of interest in ontology and what might be called 'biophilosophy'. This book argues that the notion of individuation is essential for a critical grasp of the origins and prospects of this philosophical conjuncture. Historically, it demonstrates the importance of Kant's treatment of the organism, which recast the problem of individuation in terms of vital autonomy and mechanical heteronomy. Staging the crisis of the Kantian solution in the writings of Nietzsche and Whitehead, it goes on to construct a new concept of individuation in a bold and detailed investigation of the writings of Charles Sanders Peirce, Gilbert Simondon and Gilles Deleuze - three crucial figures in the elaboration of a transcendental materialism. The Theatre of Production thus takes the problem of individuation into the realm of modernity, providing a unique and vibrant contribution to contemporary debates in European philosophy "The past few years have seen a resurgence of interest in ontology and what might be called 'biophilosophy'. This book argues that the notion of individuation is essential for a critical grasp of the origins and prospects of this philosophical conjuncture. Historically, it demonstrates the importance of Kant's treatment of the organism, which recast the problem of individuation in terms of vital autonomy and mechanical heteronomy."--BOOK JACKET This book provides a historical analysis of the philosophical problem of individuation, and a new trajectory in its treatment. Drawing on the work of Gilles Deleuze, C.S. Peirce and Gilbert Simondon, the problem of individuation is taken into the realm of modernity. This is a vibrant contribution to contemporary debates in European philosophy.