ABSTRACT This article examines Bergson’s critique of intensive magnitude in Time and Free Will. I demonstrate how his rejection of a different kind of quantity that is ordinal and does not allow measurement, and the underlying strict dualism of quantity and quality, is inconsistent with both the letter and the spirit of his later philosophy. I dismantle two main strategies for explaining these inconsistencies. Furthermore, I argue that Bergson’s simplistic conception of quantity in terms of homogeneous multiplicity, which is operative (...) in his rejection of an alternative conception of quantity, lacks justification in the face of the transformations that the concept of quantity underwent in the history of mathematics and physics. (shrink)

Bergson’s critique of intensive magnitude in Time and Free Will mainly targets Kant’s “Anticipations of Perception”, in which the Kantian distinction between matter and form is lowered. Bergson pra...

This paper contributes to clarifying Deleuze’s theory of the Idea by a commentary on its technical definition: “a defined, continuous, n-dimensional multiplicity”, presented in chapter IV of Difference and Repetition. This definition implicitly intertwines Deleuze’s own metaphysical view of the Idea as a virtual problem with a series of notions taken from the differential geometry developed by the German mathematician Georg B. Riemann. To clarify this influence, we will reconstruct the fundamental elements of the Riemannian notions used by Deleuze, and (...) show how these elements are presupposed in Deleuze’s concept of Idea. (shrink)

This paper presents an interpretation of the ontology developed by Deleuze in Différence et répétition under a topological perspective. It maintains that the Deleuzian thesis concerning Being as univocal and differential is supported by a theory of expression which holds a conception of space that goes beyond the Euclidian viewpoint. I will approach this spatial dynamism from a series of mathematical notions that assist the production of Deleuze’s main ontological concepts, defining the expression and its moments by the interaction between (...) different types of multiplicities, made of heterogeneous folds. (shrink)

Deleuze’s philosophy is permeated with the problem of the continuum. The idea that the coexistence of durations is implied in the concept of duration itself allows Deleuze to offer a fresh perspective on multiplicity, which is distinct from Bergson’s approach, and which proposes new perspectives on the continuum. While Deleuze critiques Leibniz’s view on this concept by highlighting the non-uniform nature of the continuum, the infinitesimal still plays a significant role in his analysis. However, in his late reading of Leibniz, (...) Deleuze emphasises that folds, rather than infinitesimals, should be considered as the smallest components of the continuum’s labyrinth. This implies that there is a union of indiscernible cuts in the continuity, cuts that do not create gaps or breaks in the overall coherence, but rather a labyrinth. I will show how, in exploring this problem, Deleuze and Guattari draw inspiration from Kafka, in order to relate continuity to contiguity. This relation reveals an internal difference that defines the distinction between what is continuous and what is contiguous. This, in our view, marks a considerable shift between Deleuze’s early reading of Bergson and his late reading of Leibniz, and it allows Deleuze to further develop his idea of the continuum. (shrink)

This article discusses Michel Serres's topological thinking and his approach to space and time from a film studies perspective, specifically looking at connections between Serresian philosophy and the work of Christopher Nolan, using Dunkirk (2017) as an example of folded time. The article provides a selective overview of Serres's topological thinking, which opposes a geometrical approach to space and time, as well as indicating connections between Serresian thought and film studies more broadly. Serres makes frequent use of visual metaphors that (...) rely upon motion, which means discussing Serres's philosophy in relation to film can be a purposeful way to make sense of his topological thinking about spatialized time. Serresian philosophy can bring new ideas to film studies while discussion of Serres's thinking from a film studies perspective can help to visualize some of his philosophical ideas. The article considers similarities with, and distinctions from, Gilles Deleuze's understanding of time in cinema, which is modelled on the work of Henri Bergson. One essential difference is that Serres approaches topological time in relation to space whereas Deleuze only considers topological aspects to time through the virtual qualities of the non-spatialized time-image. Key aims of the article are to contribute to film studies through the application of Serresian thinking in relation to Dunkirk as well as offering a new approach to the recurrent themes of space and time in Nolan's work. The main objective is to present Serresian topological thinking as an alternative approach to space and time in film studies, which includes the capability to potentially complement or enhance ideas developed by Deleuze and Bergson. In keeping with Serresian philosophy this article pursues a new way of thinking about folded time in relation to film, based upon exploring new territory and synthesizing ideas rather than attempting to present a universal argument. (shrink)