Affirming Divergence

Argues that understanding Deleuze's relationship to Leibniz is essential for a full understanding of Deleuze's 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'. Alex Tissandier traces Leibniz's ambiguous status for Deleuze to explain 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. Key Features The first detailed account of Deleuze's reading of Leibniz Questions the orthodox view of Deleuze's attitude towards Spinoza and Leibniz Argues for the purely philosophical motivations behind Deleuze's interest in mathematics and art The first detailed commentary on The Fold: Leibniz and the Baroque (original: 1988, English translation: 1993): a neglected Deleuze text