Gilbert Simondon and the Philosophy of the Transindividual

by Muriel Combes, Thomas Lamarre (Translation), Brian Massumi (Editor)

An accessible yet rigorous introduction to the influential French philosopher Gilbert Simondon's philosophy of individuation.Gilbert Simondon (1924-1989), one of the most influential contemporary French philosophers, published only three works: L'individu et sa gen�se physico-biologique (The individual and its physico-biological genesis, 1964) and L'individuation psychique et collective (Psychic and collective individuation, 1989), both drawn from his doctoral thesis, and Du mode d'existence des objets techniques (On the mode of existence of technical objects, 1958). It is this last work that brought Simondon into the public eye; as a consequence, he has been considered a "thinker of technics" and cited often in pedagogical reports on teaching technology. Yet Simondon was a philosopher whose ambitions lay in an in-depth renewal of ontology as a process of individuation--that is, how individuals come into being, persist, and transform. In this accessible yet rigorous introduction to Simondon's work, Muriel Combes helps to bridge the gap between Simondon's account of technics and his philosophy of individuation.

Some thinkers have found inspiration in Simondon's philosophy of individuation, notably Gilles Deleuze and F�lix Guattari. Combes's account, first published in French in 1999, is one of the only studies of Simondon to appear in English. Combes breaks new ground, exploring an ethics and politics adequate to Simondon's hypothesis of preindividual being, considering through the lens of transindividual philosophy what form a nonservile relation to technology might take today. Her book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Simondon's work.

Genres: Philosophy, Technology, France, Theory, Metaphysics

142 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 2012

Reviews

[Michael Ledezma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to the thought of Gilbert Simondon. We can see lots of parallels in Deleuzian philosophy with intensity/affectivity/virtuality. Hopefully someone will translate the actual books into English at some point.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a good introduction to Simondon's extremely challenging thought. Combes manages to cover a lot of ground in an extremely short space but because of this there are some finer points of Simondon's philosophy that get overlooked. The first chapters on physical and vital individuation were especially good but when it came to psychic/collective individuation and the transindividual I felt like some further explanation was required, and since the book is so short this could have easily been achieved. (This could have been because either Combes' writing style, or potentially the translation, is slightly clunky). The final essay by Thomas LaMarre was also very informative in putting Simondon in contemporary context and his relation to philosophers such as Foucault and Ranciere. Overall extremely useful for those trying to get into Simondon, but not necessarily the easiest entry rout given how much information is condensed into such a small space.

[Karim Kadry · Rating 3 out of 5]

First chapters on physical and biological individuation were accessible
Everything else was not