A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia by Deleuze and Guatta

The Rhizome A significant work in theology used to address one of the many concepts it encompasses, A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia by Deleuze and Guattari focuses on the idea of the Rhizome. Throughout the writing, the authors demonstrate a disapproval of the idea that identity can be finalized or â€Å"fixed† and use the concept of the rhizome to describe a person’s continual â€Å"becoming†. Unlike syncretism, another concept commonly used to help evaluate identity, the rhizome is much more complex than binary opposing forces competing until one is dominant over the other. The rhizome is an endless, root-like tangle of all parts of an organism, constantly creating identity. In this summary of â€Å"Introduction: Rhizome† in A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, I address the central idea of the piece, which is the idea that rhizomatic ways of thinking are more inclusive than dialectic and should be used as a map for determining identi ty. I will use examples from the text to clarify the meaning of the term â€Å"rhizome† and how it functions. Also, by incorporating parts from Syncretism in Religion by Anita M. Leopold and Jeppe S. Jensen into this summary, I will help shed light on the concept of syncretism and how it has led to the creation of the rhizome. To begin describing the rhizome, Deleuze and Guattari first explain it in contrast to the typical mode of thought in American culture. Generally, when deciphering the meaning of something, or anything for that matter, human beings tend to use an arboreal model. In this model, the tree starts as a seed and continues to grow vertically, producing a trunk, then branches. With this method of thinking, all objects, concepts, claimed identities, etc. can be traced back... ...y say, â€Å"Make rhizomes, not roots, never plant! ... Don’t be one or multiple, be multiplicities! ... Make maps, not photos or drawings.† These words bluntly restate their main purpose in writing the article, which is to encourage an unprecedented kind of thought. In choosing to condense the work through the use of clarifying examples of rhizomatic structures and by giving a definition of syncretism and how it relates to the rhizome, I was able to easily restate the overall purpose of â€Å"Introduction: Rhizome†. Word Count: 1,308 â€Æ' Works Cited 1. Deleuze, Gilles, and FeÃŒ lix Guattari. "Introduction: Rhizome." In A thousand plateaus: capitalism and schizophrenia. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1987. 3-25. 2. Leopold, Anita M., and Jeppe Sinding Jensen. "Part 1: General Introduction." In Syncretism in religion: a reader. New York: Routledge, 2005. ix-11.