G4 Doctoral dissertation (monograph)
Intensive Technics : Immediate Materiality and Creative Technicity in Gilles Deleuze’s Philosophy (2020)
Telivuo, J. (2020). Intensive Technics : Immediate Materiality and Creative Technicity in Gilles Deleuze’s Philosophy [Doctoral dissertation]. Jyväskylän yliopisto. JYU Dissertations, 228. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-8178-5
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Telivuo, Julius
eISBN: 978-951-39-8178-5
Journal or series: JYU Dissertations
eISSN: 2489-9003
Publication year: 2020
Number in series: 228
Publisher: Jyväskylän yliopisto
Place of Publication: Jyväskylä
Publication country: Finland
Publication language: English
Persistent website address: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-8178-5
Publication open access: Openly available
Publication channel open access: Open Access channel
Abstract
This work examines Gilles Deleuze’s concept of intensity and the role of this concept in his philosophy of technology. The work has two main objectives. First, it analyses the role of Deleuze’s theory of intensity in his metaphysical system and in his philosophy of technology. Second, on the basis of this theory, it presents an original analysis of the creative potential of technology. The importance of the concept of intensity in Deleuze’s philosophy has been acknowledged, but so far, his views on intensity have not been analysed in terms of a consistent theory. Furthermore, the implications of Deleuze’s theory of intensity for his and Félix Guattari’s analysis of technology have been entirely overlooked. This thesis shows for the first time the pivotal role of intensity in Deleuze’s philosophy and demonstrates the importance of the concept of intensity for the analysis of technicity. Part I explicates Deleuze’s theory of intensity. For Deleuze, intensity is the nature of the gradual variation of material, heterogeneous wholes. Within such wholes, intensity characterises variation in processes of individuation and systemic transformation. Moreover, these intensive processes and transformations take place within a sphere of material immediacy. Part II fleshes out the implications of this theory for a philosophy of technics. It proposes a definition of technics as immediate interaction with material variation. Technics always has an established role as a component of a particular social system, but it also bears a constant undercurrent of creative and transformative potential. Finally, the current dominance of information technology and the potential for technical creativity in contemporary society are examined on the basis of the analysis of intensive technics. The work offers an original and comprehensive analysis of Deleuze’s theory of intensity and demonstrates his contribution to the philosophy of technology. It also clarifies the processual nature of materiality and the nature of systemic transformation. Finally, it offers conceptual tools for fathoming the constraints as well as the creative potential of technics in contemporary culture.
Keywords: metaphysics; technology (sciences); philosophy; materiality; creativity
Free keywords: philosophy of technology; philosophy of systems; intensity; technicity; machinicity; individuation; Deleuze, Gilles; Guattari, Félix
Contributing organizations
Ministry reporting: Yes
Reporting Year: 2020
