Vol. 16 No. 1 (2023): Going Virtual – But How? Mapping Virtualities in Contemporary Technoculture
Monographica

Virtuality and immanence in Deleuze and Merleau-Ponty

Andrea Colombo
University of Padova
Bio
Floriana Ferro
University of Udine
Bio

Published 2023-07-22

Keywords

  • flesh,
  • Deleuze,
  • Merleau-Ponty,
  • virtual,
  • immanence

How to Cite

Colombo, A., & Ferro, F. (2023). Virtuality and immanence in Deleuze and Merleau-Ponty. Aisthesis. Pratiche, Linguaggi E Saperi dell’estetico, 16(1), 7–16. https://doi.org/10.36253/Aisthesis-14203

Abstract

In this paper we aim to find a definition of virtual which fits the latest developments of digital technology, but also applies to the analog world. We consider the virtual as related to immanence, taking inspiration from Deleuze’s reading of Bergson and Merleau-Ponty’s last work. We first analyze Deleuze’s idea of immanence, from which virtuality emerges, then we focus on Merleau-Ponty’s concept of flesh and its virtual center. We argue that both philosophers see immanence as a dynamic medium of virtuality, overcoming the traditional concept of substance and theorizing a deep intertwining of bodies and technology. Our analysis shows that the virtual is defined by the following features: it implies an epistemological and ontological monism, relationality, and entanglement with reality. The virtual clearly emerges in digital technologies, but also belongs to analog reality, as a general condition for our knowing and being in the world as such.

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