Towards an an-archic ethos

Abstract

The French philosopher Gilles Deleuze has never stated his intention to write or create a work of ethics or moral philosophy, at least not in the traditional sense of the term used to describe a ‘genre’ of the discipline of philosophy. However, this paper argues that a close attention to Deleuze’s philosophical thought manifests an ethos which calls us to ponder the possibility of creating a way of being that is profoundly anarchic (without an ἀρχή [archē]), in a sense that it opposes any form of dogmatism and/or hierarchies. In other words, it opposes a notion of ‘a ground’ or origin - an ἀρχή [archē]. The examination of this an-archic ethos is manifested through Deleuze’s distinction between ethics and morality and his reading of the works of two of his main philosophical predecessors, Friedrich Nietzsche and Baruch Spinoza.

Keywords

• gilles deleuze
• friedrich nietzsche
• baruch spinoza
• an-archy
• ethics
• morality