Deleuze and the sounds of silence

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“The problem is no longer getting people to express themselves… but providing little gaps of solitude and silence in which they might eventually find something to say.” Gilles Deleuze

This quote was shared recently by Shahzad Tabassum in a Facebook post, and it caught my attention. Deleuze emphasises in his work, the importance of difference. Classical science tends to focus on similarity, on universality – but Deleuze, like Bergson, Prigogine, Derrida and others, recognises that we have to “grasp things in their utter thisness”. Deleuze continues: is difference not “the only moment of presence and precision”? I’m just reading Whitehead’s Science and the Modern World and Whitehead too emphasises that we need to engage with ‘actual occasions’. This focus on diversity, variation and particularity is central to process complexity.

Tabassum explains: “Deleuze’s emphasis on the need for solitude and silence is particularly relevant in our current age, characterized by constant connectivity and overwhelming information….true understanding and creativity can only emerge when individuals allow themselves the space to think, to process, and to listen”.

Eastern philosophies encourage practitioners to seek inner stillness in order to find their own true nature, as well as the ‘nature of reality’, and this is a theme I explore in the Dao of Complexity, in a piece called ‘The Sounds of Silence’; silence and stillness can form an important starting point to engage more directly with the world – its flow, those tiny fleeting moments of change and, at times, sudden stark shifts.

The final word to Tabassum:
“In addition to exploring silence, Deleuze’s work also delves into the concept of multiplicity; ideas are not singular but are instead interconnected and constantly in flux. This perspective challenges the notion of a fixed identity or a singular narrative, suggesting that the process of thinking and creating is dynamic and collaborative. By advocating for moments of silence, Deleuze points to the necessity of allowing diverse voices and perspectives to emerge, enabling a richer tapestry of thought and expression.”