Overview

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.

Full Product Details

9781474474580

Table of Contents

Reviews

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, Université de Montréal ""Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"" 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"" 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, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria ""Zentralblatt MATH""

"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, Universit� de Montr�al ""Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"" 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"" 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, Universit� degli Studi dell'Insubria ""Zentralblatt MATH"""

Author Information

Rocco Gangle is Professor of Philosophy at Endicott College. He is the author of several books, including Diagrammatic Immanence: Category Theory and Philosophy (EUP), François 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 François Laruelle and co-director of the Center for Diagrammatic and Computational Philosophy.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available