A Thousand Plateaus II, Two Forms of Segmentarities, Lecture 1, 15 February 1977

<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>Following publication of <em>Anti-Oedipus</em> in 1972, Deleuze continues to develop the proliferation of concepts that his collaboration with Guattari had yielded. Throughout the 1970s, Deleuze and Guattari’s interest in expanding these concepts continues, eventually producing the sequel, <em>A Thousand Plateaus</em>. In this group of lectures, Deleuze offers the multi-faceted focus of the semester’s work, mainly to distinguish two forms of segmentarity or two types of multiplicities, in seven different directions: 1) biographical, 2) organization, 3) centralization, 4) signification (<em>signifiance</em>), 5) sociability, 6) subjectivation, and 7) planification.</p>

<p>In session 1, 15 February 1977, Deleuze argues regarding biography that for each individual or group, there is an aggregate that might be considered a cartography, made of variable lines, implicating a plane of consistency or of composition. Deleuze opts to study the hard segmentarity first [cf. <em>A Thousand Plateaus, </em>pp. 256-260], the failures that have occurred on the plane of organization, and Deleuze concludes by stating simply that the novella essentially deals with lines that crisscross at the level of a life. To a question regarding the opposition between the couple and the double, Deleuze explains that whereas the couple, caught in a binary machine of conjugality, corresponds to a hard segmentarity, the double tends toward the lines of gaps (<em>fêlures</em>) in the molecular segmentarity, tending toward different types of becoming, and Deleuze argues that one must judge if an intensity is suitable to continue living, or if in fact, a particular intensity goes beyond one’s capacities. Here, Deleuze considers speeds and slownesses of particles, as well as a body’s longitudes and latitudes in relation to speed and slowness, all of which connect to power of being affected. In response to a student question, Deleuze insists that a plane of consistency (in contrast to the plane of organization) is never preexistent but is constructed neighborhood by neighborhood, with bodies defined by their longitude and latitude, speeds and slownesses, collectively as well as individually yet distinct from a subject, in the individuation of hecceities. Then Deleuze proposes considering the social field, at once its plane of organization but also its plane of consistency, insisting that nothing can be done without molar aggregates. In every case, the individual constructs a plane piece by piece, locally, with risks of discord and blockages, but possibilities.</p>

<p>No recording of this session is available currently. This dataset includes three files: a revised French transcription and new English translation in odt format, and the original French transcript from WebDeleuze. [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>Dans la séance 1, le 15 février 1977, Deleuze soutient à propos de la biographie que pour chaque individu ou groupe, un agrégat existe que l’on pourrait considérer comme une cartographie, faite de lignes variables, impliquant un plan de consistance ou de composition. Deleuze choisit d’étudier d’abord la segmentarité dure [cf. <em>Mille plateaux</em>, pp. 256-260], les échecs survenus sur le plan de l’organisation, et Deleuze conclut en affirmant simplement que la nouvelle traite essentiellement de lignes qui se croisent au niveau d’une vie. À une question sur l’opposition entre le couple et le double, Deleuze explique que tandis que le couple, pris dans une machine binaire de la conjugalité, correspond à une segmentarité dure, le double tend vers les lignes de fêlures de la segmentarité moléculaire, tendant vers différents types de devenir. Deleuze soutient qu’il faut juger si une intensité est apte à continuer à vivre, ou si en fait, une intensité particulière dépasse nos capacités. En réponse à une question d’un étudiant, Deleuze insiste sur le fait qu’un plan de consistance (par opposition au plan d’organisation) n’est jamais préexistant mais se construit quartier par quartier, les corps étant définis par leur longitude et latitude, vitesses et lenteurs, collectivement et individuellement mais distincts d’un sujet, dans l’individuation des heccéités. Deleuze propose ensuite de considérer le champ social, à la fois comme son plan d’organisation mais aussi comme son plan de consistance, insistant sur le fait que rien ne peut se faire sans agrégats molaires. Dans tous les cas, l’individu construit un plan pièce par pièce, localement, avec des risques de discorde et de blocages, mais des possibilités.</p>