Deleuze and Guattari's 'What is Philosophy?': A Reader's Guide

by Rex Butler

What is Philosophy? is the last instalment of a remarkable twenty-year collaboration between the philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the psychoanalyst Félix Guattari. This hugely important text attempts to explain the terms of their collaboration and to define the activity of philosophy in which they have been engaged. A major contribution to contemporary Continental philosophy, it nevertheless remains distinctly challenging for readers faced for the first time with Deleuze and Guattari's unusual and somewhat allusive style. This Reader's Guide offers a concise and accessible introduction to this hugely important and yet challenging work. Written specifically to meet the needs of students coming to Deleuze and Guattari for the first time, the book offers guidance on the philosophical and historical context of the text, its reception and influence, its key themes, notes on reading the text and further reading suggestions.

Genres: Philosophy

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2012

Reviews

[Elia Mantovani · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good overview of the original books. Nonetheless, this guide still does not present a clear exposition of the main ideas Deleuze and Guattari hide under an intricate system of allegories and metaphors. What is a concept? What is science? How can we draw a line of demarcation between philosophy and science? The fact that so many critical companions to Deleuze and Guattari's last book do no highlight a clear solution to the abovementioned questions makes me feel tremendously skeptical towards their work.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm afraid that this great overview of the D&G final collaboration is one I'll return to many times since like the original book that it studies, Butler's study will yield more insights as I become more familiar with both his thinking in relation to D&G's.