Episode #129 ... Gilles Deleuze pt. 5 - Difference
Mar 16, 2019
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Delve into the fascinating ideas of Nietzsche's eternal return and how Deleuze reinterprets identity as something fluid and dynamic. Explore the flaws of post-war urban planning that aimed for organization but led to greater issues like segregation and crime. Discover the importance of viewing cities as living entities, emphasizing organic dynamics over rigid structures. Embrace the notion that identity is not fixed but continually shaped by experiences, urging listeners to accept change and difference in their lives.
Nietzsche's concept of the eternal return challenges traditional notions of being versus becoming and highlights the constant process of change and motion in the world.
Deleuze criticizes traditional city planning and argues that cities should embrace difference and interconnectedness, allowing for spontaneous connections and a constant process of becoming.
Deep dives
The Concept of Eternal Return
The podcast explores Nietzsche's idea of the eternal return, which suggests that our lives will repeat infinitely, with all the same joys, pains, and experiences. Nietzsche presents this concept in his book 'The Gay Science' in 1882 and later expands on it in 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra', suggesting that all things in the world also recur eternally. This idea challenges traditional notions of being versus becoming and highlights the constant process of change and motion in the world.
Implications for City Planning
The podcast discusses how Deleuze criticizes traditional city planning, which seeks to impose rigid identities and static structures on cities. Deleuze argues that cities are complex, rhizomatic systems in motion, and trying to enforce fixed identities on them leads to unintended consequences. The podcast offers an example of urban renewal efforts in the 1950s and 1960s, where attempts to organize cities into separate districts resulted in increased crime, isolation, and a lack of diverse connections. Deleuze suggests that cities should embrace difference and interconnectedness, allowing for spontaneous connections and a constant process of becoming.
Embracing Difference and Immanence
The podcast presents Deleuze's call to embrace difference as a way to affirm existence and live authentically. Deleuze challenges the notion of a pre-planned identity and urges individuals to let their identities emerge imminently through connections and experiences. He suggests that conforming to predetermined identities limits personal growth and potential connections. Instead, embracing difference, seeking diverse experiences, and treating life as a series of experiments allows for a more authentic and dynamic existence. Deleuze and Nietzsche share a disdain for conformity and emphasize the importance of individuality and self-determination.