The howl of the earth: on “the geology of morals,” nihilism, and the anthropocene

Tynan, Aidan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0548-2013 2022. The howl of the earth: on “the geology of morals,” nihilism, and the anthropocene. Angelaki 27 (5) , pp. 3-16. 10.1080/0969725X.2022.2110391

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Abstract

This paper offers a close reading of “The Geology of Morals,” the third and possibly most important chapter, or plateau, of Deleuze and Guattari’s magnum opus A Thousand Plateaus. I analyse some of the many philosophical and scientific sources informing Deleuze and Guattari’s densely argued text. The authors’ shift of emphasis from the critique of psychoanalysis to a geological or stratigraphic register is emphasised and explained by situating their project in relation both to contemporary debates surrounding the Anthropocene and to the problem of nihilism as this was articulated by Nietzsche and Heidegger. I argue that Deleuze and Guattari’s stratigraphy, a topic that has received comparatively little attention in the secondary literature, helps us to understand the history of nihilism in terms of humanity’s planetary impact.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
ISSN:	0969-725X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	12 August 2021
Date of Acceptance:	27 June 2021
Last Modified:	11 Nov 2024 04:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/143347

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