dr. aislinn o'donnell: "introducing gilbert simondon"

 

individuation, metastability, and the technical Object

 

monday 13/12/2010 16:30 - seminar room, gradcam, john st., d8.

 

 

This session will be led by Dr. Aislinn O’Donnell (Associate Fellow GradCAM/MI Limerick) and will introduce key concepts from the work of Gilbert Simondon: Individuation, Metastability, and the Technical Object. Gilbert Simondon remains little known in the English speaking world. He has influenced a range of philosophers including Gilles Deleuze, Paolo Virno, Giorgio Agamben and Bernard Stiegler and is becoming an increasingly important figure in the philosophy of technology. His work has attracted the interest of people from a wide range of disciplines from artists to bio-semioticians. In this session, we will examine three of his key concepts.

 

Dr. O’Donnell will also offer a set of reflections on the prison through the lens of these concepts, in what promises to be a stimulating and challenging encounter with the thinking of a key figuire in the Francophone philosophical tradition.

Gilbert Simondon (1924–1989) was a French philosopher best known for his theory of individuation, and as an important source for Gilles Deleuze and for Bernard Stiegler. SOme of his works are avaialble online in translation:

  • "The Position of the Problem of Ontogenesis," trans. Gregory Flanders, Parrhesia 7 (2009): 4-16. Parrhesia 7 (2009): 4-16.
  • "Technical Mentality," trans. Arne De Boever, Parrhesia 7 (2009): 7-27.
  • "The Genesis of the Individual," in Jonathan Crary & Sanford Kwinter (eds.), Incorporations (New York: Zone Books, 1992): 297–319.
  • "Technical Individualization," in Joke Brouwer & Arjen Mulder (eds.), Interact or Die! (Rotterdam: NAi, 2007).

Simondon was a student of philosopher of science Georges Canguilhem, Martial Guéroult, and phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty. He studied at the Ecole Normale Supérieure and the Sorbonne. He defended his doctoral dissertations in 1958. His main thesis, L'individuation à la lumière des notions de Forme et d'Information (Individuation in the light of the notions of Form and Information), was published in two parts, the first in 1964 under the title L'individu et sa génèse physico-biologique (Individuation and its physical-biological genesis) at the Presses Universitaires de France, while it is only in 1989 that Aubier published the second part, L'individuation psychique et collective (Psychic and collective individuation). His work became more widely known when it was commented upon by Gilles Deleuze and, more recently, by Bruno Latour and Bernard Stiegler.

 

participation is free - booking recomended

 

Email martin.mccabe(at)gradcam.ie to reserve a place and to get access to be directed to reading sources.

 

readings

 

Gilbert Simondon (1980) [orig. 1958] "Introduction" On the Mode of Existence of Technical Objects, Ninian Mellamphy (trans.), Paris: Aubier, Editions Montaigne
Gilbert Simondon (2009) The Position of The Problem of Ontogenesis, Gregory Flanders (trans.) PARRHESIA No.7, pp. 4–16.
A short section of Gilbert Simondon (1995) L’Individu et sa genèse physico-biologique Grenoble: Millon, pp. 146-151

 

the culture and philosophy research workshop

 

GradCAM has hosted a number of events and seminar series that address the intersection of cultural practices and philosophical enquiry. These have included seminar series such as
"Rethinking The Event" (2008-2010)
"The Experiential: Re-reading Aesthetics" (2009-ongoing)
- "Praxis and Pedagogy" (2009-ongoing)
and "The Body and its Systems: Phenomenology, Technology and Modernity" (2010-ongoing).

GradCAM has also hosted, and collaborated with colleagues to host, one-off events that also address the intersection of philosophy and culture. These have included:
"'Now as the Divine Hour': The Event in Art and Philosophy"
"Simon Critchley on Ethics: Politics of Resistance in the Contemporary World"
"Mystical Anarchism: An Event with Simon Critchley"
"Kojin Karatani: Revolution and Repetition in World History"

More recently researchers and fellows at GradCAM have initiated a series of "Culture and Philosophy Workshops" beginning with "The Phenomenology Workshop" with Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick and Dr. Francis Halsall in Autumn 2010. The next event in this series after "Introducing Simondon" will be an examination of Foucault's work on biopolitics taking place on Thursday morning 27th January 2011 - "What is Biopolitics? (Foucault)" with Tim Stott and Dr. Mick Wilson. Go to the culture and philosophy research page.

If you would like to be kept informed of upcoming events in this strand of our programme please email mick.wilson(at)gradcam.ie