Theory of Multiplicities in Bergson, 30 November 1969

<p><em>The Deleuze Seminars</em> is a collection of audio recordings, transcriptions, and English translations of, and supplemental materials from, the lectures French philosopher Gilles Deleuze gave during his career at the University of Paris 8.</p>

<p>Preceding the start of the Deleuze Seminars by two years, the text of this public presentation by Gilles Deleuze is available only in facsimile format as an appendix to the collection <em>Deleuze épars, approches et portraits, </em>eds. André Bernold and Richard Pinhas (Paris: Hermann, 2005), pp. 227-238. As the editors mention, this text is not an undiscovered essay but rather a series of notes (with abbreviations inserted for repeated key terms, such as X for multiplicities, DI for Bergson’s book <em>Devenirs immédiats</em>; H for Husserl, and others). While the date is provided on the WebDeleuze site, the collection editors state: “We regret not knowing where or when this conference talk was presented, although its problematics seem to situate in the 1960s”. Within the facsimile itself, Deleuze seems to have scrawled the following notes for opening remarks: “Très heureux de parler Soc. Ph. sur l’insist. de Mme R”, which may be decoded and translated as “[I am] very pleased to speak to the Ph[ilosophical] Soc[iety] with Mme R’s insist[ence, or invitation]” (p. 228).</p>

<p>On this presentation, the collection editors suggest: “For Deleuze, the notion of multiplicities is a key concept. . . . Developing research fundamentally by Bergson (by also from Stumpf, Riemann, and Husserl), Deleuze invents concepts which, on the one hand, are intensities (or intensive multiplicities) and their distribution within Nietzsche’s works, and on the other hand, the plane of consistency or the plane of immanence of desire populated by the real events that are desiring singularities as multiplicities. . . . These excerpts from a presentation titled ‘Theory of Multiplicities in Bergson’s Works’ seem to be seeking the demonstration of thought being outlined, the very expression of thought in the process of constituting itself. This why the ‘original’ textual graphics attracts is as an real element of composition. The handwritten words point towards (or extend from) thought’s velocity, and function as this thought’s reverse side. Hence the importance, perhaps, of rendering a part of this unpublished presentation as foreshadowing of the process of concept creation for Deleuze” (p. 227; trans. Charles J. Stivale).</p>

<p>No recording of this presentation has ever been available, nor is the text of the entire presentation. This dataset includes three files: a revised French transcription and new English translation in odt format, and the WebDeleuze original French transcript. [WebDeleuze was founded by Richard Pinhas -- a student in Deleuze's seminars -- who, with the Deleuze family's support, developed transcripts and translations of many of the seminars.]</p>

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<p>Les Séminaires de Deleuze sont une collection d'enregistrements audio, de transcriptions et de traductions en anglais et de documents complémentaires des conférences que le philosophe français Gilles Deleuze a donné lors de sa carrière à l'Université de Paris 8.</p>

<p>Il s’agit d’une conférence que Gilles Deleuze a présentée en novembre 1969, un an avant de commencer à enseigner à l’Université de Paris à Vincennes. Cette présentation n’existe qu’en facsimile de notes que Deleuze avait préparées pour se guider dans cette communication publique, publiées dans <em>Deleuze épars, approches et portraits, </em>eds. André Bernhold et Richard Pinhas (Paris : Hermann, 2005), pp. 227-238. Selon ces éditeurs, « Chez Deleuze, la notion de multiplicités est un concept clé. . . . En s’appuyant fondamentalement sur Bergson (mais aussi sur Stumpf, sur Riemann et sur Husserl), Deleuze va inventer des concepts qui sont, d’une part, les intensités (soit les multiplicités intensives) et leur distribution dans l’œuvre de Nietzsche, et d’autre part, le plan de consistance ou plan d’immanence du désir peuplé par ces événements réels que sont les singularités désirantes en tant que multiplicités. . . . Ces extraits d’une conférence intitulée <em>Théorie des multiplicités chez Bergson</em> semblent vouloir nous montrer le tracé de la pensée, l’expression même de la pensée en train de se constituer. C’est pour cette raison que la graphie ‘originaire’ nous happe comme le ferait un élément rée’ de composition. La trace des mots fait signe vers (ou bien à partir de) la vitesse de la pensée, elle en est comme l’envers. D’où l’importance, peut-être, d’exposer une partie de cette conférence inédite comme étant le reflet avant-coup de ce qui est création de concept chez Deleuze » (p. 227).</p>