5 Etudes on Body Without Organs

Abstract

The concept of “Body without Organs (BwO)” proposed by Gilles Deleuze (and Félix Guattari) is quite often overlooked both in the “post-Deleuzian” literature and in various systems/media theories. This paper aims to show the changes that might occur when introducing this concept in different discourses. Specifically, in terms of the systems theory, BwO resolves the paradox of “a certain system in the state of uncertainty” as well as opens the way to the neorationality; in the philosophy of life, it makes the zone of indistinguishability between life and death clearly visible; against the background of the identity politics, it becomes the guiding idea of liberation; while in the context of the media theory, it unfolds the mode of existence of the worlds of fantasy. The outcomes of this study may be useful not only for philosophers addressing the issues of systems, organizations, technics, media etc., or for political activists, but also for anyone interested in the philosophical heritage of Gilles Deleuze as well as in the development of his philosophical ideas.

Keywords

• gilles deleuze
• body without organs
• organization
• system
• life
• disorganized
• liberation
• whole
• resonance
• media