Gilbert Simondon (October 2, 1924 – February 7, 1989) was a French philosopher best known for his theory of individuation, a major source of inspiration for Gilles Deleuze and, today, for Bernard Stiegler.
Born in Saint-Étienne, Simondon was a student of philosopher of science Georges Canguilhem, Martial Guéroult, and phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty. He studied at the Ecole Normale Supérieure and the Sorbonne. He defended his doctoral dissertations in 1958. His main thesis, L'individuation à la lumière des notions de Forme et d'Information (Individuation in the light of the notions of Form and Information), was published in two parts, the first in 1964 under the title L'individu et sa génèse physico-biologique (Individuation and its physical-biological genesis) at the Presses Universitaires de France, while it is only in 1989 that Aubier published the second part, L'individuation psychique et collective (Psychic and collective individuation). While his main thesis, which laid the foundations of his thinking, was not widely read until it was commented upon by Gilles Deleuze and, more recently, Bruno Latour and Bernard Stiegler, his complementary thesis, Du mode d'existence des objets techniques (On the mode of existence of technical objects) was published by Aubier immediately after being completed (in 1958) and had an instant impact on a wide audience. It was only in 2005 that Jérôme Millon published a complete edition of the main thesis.
In L'individuation psychique et collective, Simondon developed a theory of individual and collective individuation, in which the individual subject is considered as an effect of individuation, rather than as a cause. Thus the individual atom is replaced by the neverending process of individuation. Simondon also conceived of "pre-individual fields" as the funds making individuation itself possible. Individuation is an always incomplete process, always leaving a "pre-individual" left-over, itself making possible future individuations. Furthermore, individuation always creates both an individual and a collective subject, which individuate themselves together.
Gilbert Simondon criticized Norbert Wiener's theory of cybernetics, arguing that, "Right from the start, Cybernetics has accepted what all theory of technology must refuse: a classification of technological objects conducted by means of established criteria and following genera and species." Simondon aimed to overcome the shortcomings of cybernetics by developing a "general phenomenology" of machines.
Simondon's theory of individuation through transduction in a metastable environment was the most important influence on the thought of Gilles Deleuze. Deleuze recognized it in Logique du sens, and this major influence is explained by Alberto Gualandi in his book Deleuze (Paris, Editions Perrin, 2009), and developed by Anne Sauvagnargues in her recent Deleuze. L'empirisme transcendental (Paris, P.U.F., 2009).
Simondon's work has also been adopted by Bernard Stiegler, who places the theory of individuation at the very heart of his philosophical project. Stiegler nevertheless argues that, paradoxically, Simondon failed to think the constitutive role that technical individuation plays in psychic and collective individuation.
Du mode d'existence des objets techniques (Méot, 1958; second ed. Paris: Aubier, 1989).
L'individu et sa genèse physico-biologique (l'individuation à la lumière des notions de forme et d'information) (Paris: PUF, 1964; second ed. J.Millon, coll. Krisis, 1995).
L'individuation psychique et collective (Paris, Aubier, 1989 et 2007 - préface de Bernard Stiegler).
Published 2005—2006
L’Invention dans les techniques, Cours et conferences (Éd. du Seuil, coll. "Traces écrites").
L’Individuation à la lumière des notions de forme et d’information (Jérôme Millon, coll. Krisis).
Cours sur la perception (1964—1965), Préface de Renaud Barbaras (Editions de La Tansparence).
Published 2008
Imagination et invention (1965—1966)(Editions de La Transparence)
Published 2010
Communication et Information. Cours et Conférences (Éditions de La Transparence).
English translations
"The Position of the Problem of Ontogenesis," trans. Gregory Flanders, Parrhesia 7 (2009): 4-16. Parrhesia 7 (2009): 4-16.
"Technical Mentality," trans. Arne De Boever, Parrhesia 7 (2009): 7-27.
"The Genesis of the Individual," in Jonathan Crary & Sanford Kwinter (eds.), Incorporations (New York: Zone Books, 1992): 297—319.
"Technical Individualization," in Joke Brouwer & Arjen Mulder (eds.), Interact or Die! (Rotterdam: NAi, 2007).
Barthélémy, Jean-Hugues, Simondon ou l'Encyclopédisme génétique (Paris, P.U.F., 2008).
Barthélémy, Jean-Hugues, Penser l'individuation. Simondon et la philosophie de la nature (Paris: L'Harmattan, 2005). .
Barthélémy, Jean-Hugues, Penser la connaissance et la technique après Simondon (Paris: L'Harmattan, 2005). .
Revue philosophique, Gilbert Simondon, n°3/2006.
Chabot, Pascal, La philosophie de Simondon (Paris, Vrin, 2003).
Deleuze, Gilles, "On Gilbert Simondon," in Desert Islands and Other Texts, 1953—1974 (Los Angeles & New York: Semiotext(e), 2004): 86—9. ISBN 1-58435-018-0
During, Elie, Simondon au pied du mur. .
Hottois, Gilbert, Simondon et la philosophie de la culture technique (Brussels: De Boeck, 1992). .
Mackenzie, Adrian, Transductions: Bodies and Machines at Speed (Continuum Press, 2002). ISBN 0-8264-5883-1
Massumi, Brian, Technical Mentality" Revisited: Brian Massumi on Gilbert Simondon, Parrhesia 7 (2009): 36-45.
Stiegler, Bernard, Acting Out (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2009).
Stiegler, Bernard, The Theater of Individuation: Phase-shift and Resolution in Simondon and Heidegger, trans. Kristina Lebedeva, Parrhesia 7 (2009): 46-57.
Stiegler, Bernard, The Fault of Epimetheus (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1998).
Stiegler, Bernard, Temps et individuation technique, psychique, et collective dans l’oeuvre de Simondon. .
Toscano, Alberto, "Technical Culture and the Limits of Interaction: A Note on Simondon," in Joke Brouwer & Arjen Mulder (eds.), Interact or Die! (Rotterdam: NAi, 2007): 198-205.
Virno, Paolo, Angels and the General Intellect: Individuation in Duns Scotus and Gilbert Simondon, Parrhesia 7 (2009): 58-67.
Online translations
On the Mode of Existence of Technical Objects, Part 1, link to PDF file of 1980 translation.
The Individual and Its Physico-Biological Genesis, Part 1, link to HTML file of unpublished 2007 translation.
The Individual and Its Physico-Biological Genesis, Part 2, link to HTML file of unpublished 2007 translation.
The Position of the Problem of Ontogenesis.
Technical Mentality.
Other links
Jean-Hugues Barthélémy translated (on Simondon's link to Bergson and Teilhard de Chardin)
"Simondon" issue, online revue Parrhesia
Filmed interview of Gilbert Simondon on the subject of mechanology (French, 1968)
The French Wikipedia page on Simondon
Autour de Simondon, list of articles about Simondon, by the revue online Appareil
List of articles about Simondon, by Jean-Hugues Barthélémy
Barthelemy's Conference - video - at "Université de tous les savoirs" about Simondon and the new Enlightenment
"Penser l'école avec Gilbert Simondon", by Jean-Hugues Barthélémy
« Simondon au pied du mur », by Elie During .
List of papers accessible on PDF by Adrian MacKenzie, related to Canguilhem's concepts of individuation, transductions, etc (under Creative Commons copyleft licence).
