Combining the Internal Virtual of the Matrix Dream Space with External Reality: Lessons of Chaos and Complexity

Abstract

Theories of chaos and complexity are brought into comparison with the social dreaming process and Deleuzian theory. Prigogine’s dissipative structures can be seen as Deleuzian movement, and the affect and meanings of clusters of dreams in social dreaming can also be understood as retaining sense in movement as afforded to them by the social dreaming technique of not foreclosing meaning through interpretation. Complexity teaches that everything is interconnected and specific in difference in complexity, just as dreams and associations in social dreaming are interconnected while retaining individual features. Therefore, this approach to social dreaming gives rise to the possibility that dream sharing in this way can be viewed as an experienced ecology, which opens out a discussion of Guattari’s interest in ecology as compared to Naess.