A Thousand Plateaus

1. Stratification: The Earth's Inevitable Organization

Strata are acts of capture, they are like "black holes" or occlusions striving to seize whatever comes within their reach.

Layers of Existence. Deleuze and Guattari introduce the concept of strata as the organizing principle of the Earth, a process that gives form to unformed matter and intensities. These strata are not merely physical layers but also conceptual frameworks that capture and codify flows, creating a sense of order and stability. Stratification is an ongoing process, a continuous judgment that shapes our understanding of reality.

Strata as Judgments. The authors equate strata with "judgments of God," highlighting the way these layers impose a moral and structural framework on the world. This framework, while providing a sense of order, also limits and constrains the potential for free movement and expression. Understanding stratification is crucial for recognizing the forces that shape our perceptions and actions.

The Earth's Resistance. Despite the pervasive nature of stratification, the Earth, as a body without organs, constantly resists and eludes these judgments. This resistance manifests as destratification, a process of decoding and deterritorialization that challenges the established order. The tension between stratification and destratification drives the dynamic processes of the world.

2. Double Articulation: The Foundation of Strata

Articulate twice, B-A, BA.

Two-Fold Process. Double articulation is presented as the fundamental mechanism by which strata are formed. This process involves two distinct but interconnected operations: the selection and ordering of metastable units and the establishment of stable, functional structures. This double process is not limited to language but extends to geology, biology, and social organization.

From Sediment to Rock. In geological terms, sedimentation represents the first articulation, depositing cyclic units in a statistical order. Folding, on the other hand, constitutes the second articulation, creating stable structures and transforming sediment into sedimentary rock. This analogy illustrates how double articulation operates across different domains.

Beyond Dualism. The authors emphasize that double articulation is not a simple dualism between form and content. Instead, each articulation possesses both form and substance, code and territoriality. The key lies in understanding the complex interplay between these elements and the overcoding processes that emerge from their interaction.

3. Unity and Diversity: The Strata's Internal Dynamics

Matter, the pure matter of the plane of consistency (or inconsistency) lies outside the strata.

Unity of Composition. Each stratum possesses a unity of composition, characterized by molecular materials, substantial elements, and formal relations. This unity provides a framework for understanding the internal coherence of a stratum. However, this unity is not static but dynamic, constantly shaped by the interplay of internal and external forces.

Diversity Within. Despite their unity, strata exhibit significant diversity, with variations in molecules, substances, and forms. This diversity arises from the interplay of degrees of development, types of forms, and the influence of the surrounding milieu. Understanding this diversity is crucial for appreciating the complexity of stratified systems.

The Role of the Milieu. The milieu plays a crucial role in shaping the characteristics of a stratum. It acts as both an external force, influencing the development of internal elements, and an internal environment, providing the conditions for their interaction. The interplay between the milieu and the stratum contributes to the ongoing process of stratification.

4. Nomad Thought: A Cartographic Approach

A rhizome is altogether different, a map and not a tracing.

Mapping vs. Tracing. Deleuze and Guattari contrast the rhizome, a model of nomad thought, with the arborescent model, which they associate with State philosophy. The rhizome is a map, open and connectable in all its dimensions, while the arborescent model is a tracing, a reproduction of something pre-existing. Nomad thought embraces experimentation and the construction of the unconscious, while State philosophy seeks to maintain balance and explore what is already there.

Multiple Entryways. A key characteristic of the rhizome is its multiple entryways, allowing for diverse and unconventional approaches. This contrasts with the tracing, which always returns to the same point. Nomad thought prioritizes performance over competence, emphasizing the act of creation and exploration.

Rejecting Pre-Traced Destiny. Schizoanalysis, a method aligned with nomad thought, rejects any notion of pre-traced destiny, whether divine, historical, or structural. Instead, it embraces the potential for change and transformation, fostering connections between fields and opening bodies without organs onto a plane of consistency.

5. The Rhizome: Connection, Heterogeneity, and Multiplicity

Any point of a rhizome can be connected to anything other, and must be.

Principles of Connection. The rhizome operates on principles of connection and heterogeneity, allowing any point to be connected to any other. This contrasts with the hierarchical structure of the tree, which plots a point and fixes an order. The rhizome embraces diverse modes of coding and regimes of signs.

Language as Rhizome. Language, according to Deleuze and Guattari, is not a closed system but an essentially heterogeneous reality. It evolves through subterranean stems and flows, spreading like a patch of oil. A rhizomatic method analyzes language by decentering it onto other dimensions and registers.

Multiplicity Without Unity. The rhizome treats the multiple as a substantive, ceasing to relate it to the One as subject or object. A multiplicity has neither subject nor object, only determinations, magnitudes, and dimensions that change in nature as the multiplicity grows. This concept challenges traditional notions of unity and identity.

6. Asignifying Rupture: Embracing Deterritorialization

There is a rupture in the rhizome whenever segmentary lines explode into a line of flight, but the line of flight is part of the rhizome.

Rupture and Reconnection. A rhizome may be broken or shattered, but it will start up again on old or new lines. This principle of asignifying rupture contrasts with the oversignifying breaks that separate structures. The line of flight, a key concept in Deleuze and Guattari's philosophy, is an integral part of the rhizome.

Deterritorialization and Reterritorialization. Movements of deterritorialization and processes of reterritorialization are relative and interconnected. The orchid deterritorializes by forming an image of a wasp, but the wasp reterritorializes on that image. These becomings interlink and push deterritorialization further.

The Rhizome as Anti-Genealogy. The rhizome operates immediately in the heterogeneous, jumping from one differentiated line to another. It is an anti-genealogy, challenging traditional models of arborescent descent. The rhizome is a liberation of sexuality from reproduction and genitality.

7. The Abstract Machine: Beyond Models and Representations

What is at question in the rhizome is a relation to sexuality—but also to the animal, the vegetal, the world, politics, the book, things natural and artificial—that is totally different from the arborescent relation: all manner of "becomings."

A New Kind of Model. The abstract machine is not a structural or generative model but a map oriented toward experimentation in contact with the real. It constructs the unconscious and fosters connections between fields, removing blockages on bodies without organs. The abstract machine is a part of the rhizome.

Multiple Entryways. The map, unlike the tracing, has multiple entryways and is open and connectable in all its dimensions. It is detachable, reversible, and susceptible to constant modification. The map has to do with performance, whereas the tracing involves an alleged "competence."

Rejecting Pre-Traced Destiny. Schizoanalysis rejects any idea of pre-traced destiny, whatever name is given to it. Drives and part-objects are political options for problems, entryways and exits, impasses the child lives out politically. The rhizome is precisely this production of the unconscious.

8. The War Machine: An Exterior Force

The two poles of the State—The irreducibility and exteriority of the war machine.

Irreducibility of the War Machine. The war machine is fundamentally exterior to the State apparatus, existing as a distinct force with its own logic and objectives. This exteriority is evident in mythology, epic, drama, and games, where the warrior figure stands apart from the magician-king and jurist-priest.

Nomadism and the War Machine. The war machine is closely linked to nomadism, a mode of existence characterized by movement, deterritorialization, and a rejection of fixed structures. The nomad war machine operates in smooth space, challenging the striated space of the State.

The State's Appropriation. The State seeks to appropriate the war machine, transforming it into a military institution subject to its control. However, the war machine's inherent exteriority and potential for disruption always pose a threat to the State's authority.

9. Apparatus of Capture: The State's Methods of Control

The paleolithic State—Primitive groups, towns, States, and worldwide organizations—Anticipate, ward off.

The State as a Capturing Force. The State operates as an apparatus of capture, seeking to control and codify flows of energy, resources, and populations. This capture is achieved through various mechanisms, including landownership, fiscal organization, and public works.

Primitive Groups and Worldwide Organizations. The State's apparatus of capture is not limited to specific historical periods or geographical locations. It can be found in primitive groups, towns, States, and worldwide organizations, all of which employ strategies to anticipate and ward off potential threats.

Violence and the State. The State's apparatus of capture relies on violence, both direct and indirect, to maintain its control. This violence is manifested in the forms of landownership, taxation, and public works, all of which serve to concentrate power and resources in the hands of the State.

10. Smooth and Striated Space: Two Contrasting Realms

The technological model (textile)—The musical model—The maritime model—The mathematical model (multiplicities)—The physical model—The aesthetic model (nomad art).

Striated Space. Striated space is characterized by fixed paths, hierarchical structures, and a focus on measurement and control. It is the space of the State, of sedentary life, and of arborescent thought. Examples include gridded cities, cultivated fields, and structured musical compositions.

Smooth Space. Smooth space, on the other hand, is open-ended, directional, and characterized by continuous variation. It is the space of the nomad, of the war machine, and of rhizomatic thought. Examples include deserts, steppes, and the open sea.

Interplay of Spaces. Smooth and striated space are not mutually exclusive but exist in a constant state of interplay. Striated space is always being challenged and disrupted by the forces of smooth space, while smooth space is always being captured and organized by the structures of striated space.

11. The Power of Becoming: Intensities and Transformations

Becoming—Three aspects of sorcery: multiplicity; the Anomalous, or the Outsider; transformations—Individuation and Haecceity: five o'clock in the evening—Longitude, latitude, and the plane of consistency—The two planes, or the two conceptions of the plane—

Becoming as Transformation. Becoming is a key concept in Deleuze and Guattari's philosophy, representing a process of transformation and change that transcends fixed identities. Becoming involves a movement away from established categories and toward new, unforeseen possibilities.

Becoming-Animal. Becoming-animal is a specific type of becoming that involves a connection with the animal world, not through imitation or identification, but through a shared intensity and a dismantling of human ego. This process can lead to new forms of expression and understanding.

Becoming-Imperceptible. Becoming-imperceptible is the ultimate goal of becoming, representing a state of pure potentiality and connection with the plane of consistency. It involves a shedding of individual identity and a merging with the forces of the universe.

Last updated: March 31, 2025