Deleuze's epistemology of inquiry

Abstract In this article, I describe Deleuze's theory of knowledge as set out in Difference & Repetition . First, I show that despite Deleuze's hostility toward a knowledge‐centered approach to philosophy, we should nevertheless read him as having an epistemological theory. Second, I examine Deleuze's theory of knowledge by proceeding from a discussion of learning as a process of resolving practical problems to a discussion of Deleuze's theory of questions. Questions, I show, express practical imperatives that set problems into motion. Knowledge, then, is a case of solution to this question via a grappling with the problems that it brings about. I end by discussing a key feature of Deleuzian knowledge: that it never answers once and for all the problems and questions from which it springs. Instead, an instance of knowledge should be understood as one possible resolution to the practical problem it answers.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Southern Journal of Philosophy
Published
2025-11-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/sjp.70030
Primary Topic
Posthumanist Ethics and Activism
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Deleuze's epistemology of inquiry

Evan O’Donnell
The Southern Journal of Philosophy
Posthumanist Ethics and Activism
article

Deleuze's epistemology of inquiry

Evan O’Donnell
article en

Abstract

Abstract In this article, I describe Deleuze's theory of knowledge as set out in Difference & Repetition . First, I show that despite Deleuze's hostility toward a knowledge‐centered approach to philosophy, we should nevertheless read him as having an epistemological theory. Second, I examine Deleuze's theory of knowledge by proceeding from a discussion of learning as a process of resolving practical problems to a discussion of Deleuze's theory of questions. Questions, I show, express practical imperatives that set problems into motion. Knowledge, then, is a case of solution to this question via a grappling with the problems that it brings about. I end by discussing a key feature of Deleuzian knowledge: that it never answers once and for all the problems and questions from which it springs. Instead, an instance of knowledge should be understood as one possible resolution to the practical problem it answers.

The Southern Journal of Philosophy
DePaul University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 58%
Posthumanist Ethics and Activism
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Deleuze's epistemology of inquiry — Evan O’Donnell · The Southern Journal of Philosophy (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS