Chaosmosis: An Ethico-Aesthetic Paradigm [Paperback]

Félix Guattari (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 1995

Guattari's final book is a succinct summary of his socio-philosophical outlook. It includes critical reflections on Lacanian psychoanalysis, structuralism, information theory, postmodernism, and the thought of Heidegger, Bakhtin, Barthes, and others.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

About the Author

FÉLIS GUATTARI (1930–1992) was the author of works including La revolution moleculaire and L'inconscient machinique: essais de schizo-analyse. He was co-author, with Gilles Deleuze, of many books, including A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, and Nomadology: The War Machine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (September 22, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253210046
• ISBN-13: 978-0253210043
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars XXI century thought, April 13, 2005

By 

Rui "Rui" (Portugal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chaosmosis: An Ethico-Aesthetic Paradigm (Paperback)

This is one of the most important books in XX century, but it doesn't look like one. Even if Guattari really tries to deliver his ideas in the easiest way he can (read: more reader oriented than his books with Deleuze) he probably looks quite esoteric to anybody not used with structuralism and post-structuralism (especially Lacan, Hjesmelev, Levy Strauss... but also more contemporary investigators, like Varela and Stern, which he clearly prefer). Once you are used with this "continental" mind set this is a lightning book, explaining in a very easy way his ethico-esthetic new paradigm (to which he makes an incisive statement).
If all the developments of the concept of machine vs structure, of machinc assemblages and abstract machines, sum up with the central importance of "autopoiesis" in all systems (and not only living systems like Varela sugests), wouldn't be enough to make this a very important and useful book, his matrix where we see very clearly how Actual is related to the Virtual, how the Real is related to the Possible, and how we can find a Real and a Possible "Actual" (Flux and Phylum) and, also, a Real and a Possible Virtual (existencial territories and reference Universes), would make this a very useful book.
And, suddenly, it makes light to ALL Deleuze and Guattari thought... oh... and it helps a lot when you approach Perry Levy, Hardt, Aliez, etc.
If you are interested in D&G thought you have to read this book ;) trust me...

6 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars you are a collective, August 26, 2003

By 

A. Metral "Alex" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chaosmosis: An Ethico-Aesthetic Paradigm (Paperback)

Great for artists; Guttari basically says art is an aesthetical production of new forms of subjectivity, and subjectivity is always pre-individual. the Subject is always a collective, an interesting thought. Although you feel dumped in that post structuralist wordclog world, a good book for current artists.