Abstract

In 1977, Deleuze and Foucault found themselves in opposite camps in the public dispute among French intellectuals, resulting in a parting of the ways between two colleagues who had for many years been friends. Deleuze considered the reason for the split to have been their differing ideas on the connection between the historical situation and philosophical thought; in his view, it was occasioned by the debate over the New Philosophers, in which Foucault supported those intellectuals who, according to Deleuze, opposed the creative thinking of philosophy. After Foucault's death, Deleuze sought to reconcile the two positions, but his attempts only highlighted the depth of the division between them.

Highlights

  • There was a point in time, wrote Deleuze in 1990, before which he had been a political follower of Foucault, and after which he no longer shared Foucault's "evaluation" of many issues.[1]

  • In 1977, Deleuze and Foucault found themselves in opposite camps in the public dispute among French intellectuals, resulting in a parting of the ways between two colleagues who had for many years been friends

  • Deleuze considered the reason for the split to have been their differing ideas on the connection between the historical situation and philosophical thought; in his view, it was occasioned by the debate over the New Philosophers, in which Foucault supported those intellectuals who, according to Deleuze, opposed the creative thinking of philosophy

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Summary

Introduction

There was a point in time, wrote Deleuze in 1990, before which he had been a political follower of Foucault, and after which he no longer shared Foucault's "evaluation" of many issues.[1]. The probable cause of the split, at least for Deleuze, was the debate concerning the New Philosophers, in which Foucault, in line with these intellectuals, rejected the creative thinking of philosophy as dangerous: the reason could only have been that Foucault did not share Deleuze's conception of the distinction between the prevailing relations of power and the primary forces. For Deleuze, theory by its nature extricates itself from organization through power; for Foucault, it is a form of the struggle against power.[2] The background to this conversation was the Groupe d'information sur les prisons, which was formed at Foucault's initiative in 1971 and which Deleuze joined This group sought to support prisoners by publicizing and fighting against the conditions prevailing in French prisons. As Foucault said, the task of the intellectual was not to reveal the truth about prevailing sociopolitical structures to others, but rather to undermine power and utilize it for the purpose of defending oneself in particular instances against prohibitions and constraints, surveillance and control

The Odd Term of Power
See Miller
Michel Foucault
Deleuze
Mediocracy and Philosophy
17 Gilles Deleuze
18 Deleuze
The Split with Foucault
23 See Gilles Deleuze
30 Michel Foucault
32 Michel Foucault
An Unwritten Doctrine
36 Gilles Deleuze
Full Text
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