Why does knowledge of philosophy presuppose knowledge of reality? What are the characters in Deleuze's theatre and philosophy? How are his famous metaphysical distinctions secondary to the concept of philosophy as practice and politics? These questions are answered through careful analysis and application of Deleuzian principles.

A detailed study of Gilles Deleuze's philosophical system with special emphasis on the metaphysical basis for his conception of philosophy and on the politics of his metaphysics

Acknowledgments Introduction PART I: DELEUZE AND SYSTEMATIC PHILOSOPHY  The Shape of Systematic Philosophy  Deleuze's Slogan of the Middle  The Middle as Becoming  Deleuze's Problem, Differential, or Abstract Machine PART II: THEATRE OF OPERATIONS  The Exclusive Disjunctive Synthesis of Professional Philosophy  Affirmative Philosophy Three Conceptual Personae: the Anglo-American Philosopher, the French Philosopher, and the Logician The Philosopher, the Artist, the Scientist, the Historian, & the Logician  The Phenomenologist as Hero, The Phenomenologist as Parasite  The Structuralist as Hero, the Structuralist as Palace Dog Philosophy's Encounter with Literature  Why Does the Hero Loath Discussion? The Abstract Machine of Philosophical Discourse PART III: AFFIRMING PHILOSOPHY  Philosophy's Demise Has Been Greatly Exaggerated  The First Metaphilosophical Question: What is a Philosophy?  The Second Metaphilosophical Question: What Does it Mean to Think?  Ethico-Political Metaphysics Notes Bibliography Index