Deleuze's Body Without Organs: A Gentle Introduction (with Appendix)
Some time ago, I wrote this medium-sized primer to Deleuze and Guattari's notion of the 'Body without Organs'. I'm still pretty chuffed with it, because I think the person who it helped above all to grasp this concept is none other than myself . This is not a comprehensive or 'complete' guide by any means, but it does tackle the concept from a few different and related angles that when taken together, give a relatively clear view of the whole, I think. At the end of the post I have added a rather haphazard 'appendix' of sources for the BwO. This is mostly for trivia reasons, and again, for my own self-edification. But hopefully someone finds it interesting. Anyway, without further ado... What is the Body without Organs? Part I: A Thousand Plateaus I The simplest way to understand the BwO is as a pluripotential or equipotential body. That is, a body that has the capacity to settle on a range of different functions and forms in potentia , without...