CENTRE of THEOLOGY and PHILOSOPHY | Now Available: Christopher Ben Simpson’s Deleuze and Theology

'Every doctrine which does not reach the one thing necessary, every separated philosophy, will remain deceived by false appearances. It will be a doctrine, it will not be Philosophy’ (Maurice Blondel, 1861-1949)

Dept of Theology & Religious Studies

Notable Books

Now Available: Christopher Ben Simpson’s Deleuze and Theology

By Adam Morton ⋅ April 8, 2013 ⋅

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Now available: Deleuze and Theology (Philosophy and Theology series), by Christopher Ben Simpson (T & T Clark, September 2012) [Order UK | Order US]

Book description:

What can a theologian do with Deleuze? While using philosophy as a resource for theology is nothing new, Gilles Deleuze (1925-1995) presents a kind of limit-case for such a theological appropriation of philosophy: a thoroughly “modern” philosophy that would seem to be fundamentally hostile to Christian theology–a philosophy of atheistic immanence with an essentially chaotic vision of the world. Nonetheless, Deleuze’s philosophy can generate many potential intersections with theology opening onto a field of configurations: a fractious middle between radical Deleuzian theologies that would think through theology and reinterpret it from the perspective of some version of Deleuzian philosophy and other theologies that would seek to learn from and respond to Deleuze from the perspective of confessional theology–to take from the encounter with Deleuze an opportunity to clarify and reform an orthodox Christian self-understanding.

Blurbs:

‘Deleuze’s work, at first glance, seems to offer stony soil bare of shoots of theological significance, but Christopher Simpson performs the wonder of bringing to light theological virtualities in what is unsaid in the said and what is unthought in the thought of Deleuze. Building on an impressive distillation of the essential theoretical resources of Deleuze’s work, Simpson brings him into fruitful conversation with the fundamental themes of Christian theology. Along the way there is also some fascinating material on the connection of Deleuze with some esoteric currents of thought. The book is saturated with apt citations, yet in all the detail it never loses sight of the narrative plot. It is a worthy achievement to be so lucidly faithful in an engaging exposition of Deleuze, while at the same time displaying impressive theological erudition and astute judgment. I found it very illuminating and learnt much from it, both about Deleuze himself and the impossibility of avoiding theology even while trying to avoid theology. Very highly recommended.’ —William Desmond, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

‘Simpson has provided us with one of the best critical accounts of Deleuze so far- showing just why he is central to the current revival of metaphysics and how theology can deploy him, criticise him and transcend him in order to take us beyond the still prevailing sway of theoretical nihilism’ —John Milbank, University of Nottingham, UK

About the Author

Christopher Ben Simpson is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Lincoln Christian University, USA. He is the author of Religion, Metaphysics, and the Postmodern: William Desmond and John D. Caputo (Indiana University Press, 2009) [US | UK], The Truth is the Way: Kierkegaard’s Theologia Viatorum (SCM Press, 2010 and Cascade Press, 2011) [US | UK], and the editor of The William Desmond Reader (SUNY Press, 2012) [US | UK].