
Diagrammatic Immanence
Category Theory and Philosophy
Rocco Gangle(Author)
Edinburgh University Press
Published on 4. June 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
264 pages
978-1-4744-7458-0 (ISBN)
Description
Spinoza, Peirce and Deleuze are, in different ways, philosophers of immanence. Rocco Gangle addresses the methodological questions raised by a commitment to immanence in terms of how diagrams may be used both as tools and as objects of philosophical investigation.
Gangle integrates insights from Spinozist metaphysics, Peircean semiotics and Deleuze's philosophy of difference in conjunction with the formal operations of category theory. He introduces the methods of category theory from a philosophical and diagrammatic perspective in a way that will allow philosophers with little or no mathematical training to come to grips with this important field.
Gangle integrates insights from Spinozist metaphysics, Peircean semiotics and Deleuze's philosophy of difference in conjunction with the formal operations of category theory. He introduces the methods of category theory from a philosophical and diagrammatic perspective in a way that will allow philosophers with little or no mathematical training to come to grips with this important field.
Reviews / Votes
Do I believe that category theory and diagrams can be useful to philosophy? Certainly. Does Gangle's book provide an illustration and a useful entry point for philosophers who might want to learn how to use category theory in their own research and thinking? It will depend on their sensitivity to the philosophical issues chosen by Gangle. His presentation of category theory and categorical notational systems are clear and instructive. That will certainly be useful and could be a starting point to non-mathematicians. As to whether, in the end, philosophers will be convinced and will find ways of using these concepts and notational systems in their own philosophical work, I will leave that to readers to decide. -- Jean-Pierre Marquis, Universite de Montreal * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews * This is a philosophical essay whose intended public is composed by philosophers. Nevertheless, for a mathematician it may be of interest because it provides a different, alternative and in some ways provocative view of category theory. In turn, this view hints toward an immanent foundation of mathematics, although the text does not elaborate this line specifically. It is a stimulating way of thinking out of the usual tracks of mathematics, and it could bring new ideas and insights or, perhaps, just provide a critical, non-standard point of view based on a solid philosophical tradition. -- Marco Benini, Universita degli Studi dell'Insubria * Zentralblatt MATH * This exceptionally useful text explores the rich and complex contours of the relation between category theory and philosophy with admirable clarity. In the process it develops a diagrammatic philosophy of immanence as an exemplar of this relation, and demonstrates the value and remarkable potential of category theory for philosophy.Simon B. Duffy, Yale-NUS College, Singapore -- Fernando Zalamea, author of "Synthetic Philosophy of Contemporary Mathematics" The Philosophy of Category Theory comes of age with Spinoza, Peirce and Deleuze, understood through functors, presheaves, and adjunctions. A compelling use of nearly 50 diagrams supports a deep understanding of structure, variation, and difference. Gangle introduces a new, needed voice for the provocative "visual turn" of the 21st Century. -- Fernando Zalamea, author of "Synthetic Philosophy of Contemporary Mathematics"More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
44 black and white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
407 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4744-7458-0 (9781474474580)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2016
1st Edition
Edinburgh University Press
€24.49
Available for download

E-Book
11/2015
1st Edition
Edinburgh University Press
€0.00
Available for download
Person
Rocco Gangle is Professor of Philosophy at Endicott College. He is the author of several books, including Diagrammatic Immanence: Category Theory and Philosophy (EUP), Francois Laruelle's Philosophies of Difference: A Critical Introduction and Guide and, with Gianluca Caterina, Iconicity and Abduction (Springer), as well as dozens of journal articles and chapters in the areas of logic, phenomenology, semiotics, and philosophy of science. He is also a scholar and translator of the work of Francois Laruelle and co-director of the Center for Diagrammatic and Computational Philosophy.
Content
Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Spinoza and Relational Immanence; 2 Diagrams of Structure: Categories and Functors; 3 Peirce and Semiotic Immanence; 4 Diagrams of Variation: Functor Categories and Presheaves; 5 Deleuze and Expressive Immanence; 6 Diagrams of Difference: Adjunctions and Topoi; Conclusion; Bibliography.