Deleuze’s conception of contingency

Abstract

The author shows that the notion of contingency forms one of the key notions of Deleuze’s philosophy. It is, however, never developed as such, but always presented through other key notions and conceptions of Deleuze’s philosophy – (thinking as) dice throw, “the power of the false”, “becoming”, “time out of joint”, “eternal return” and, of course, “event”. Through examination of these notions and conceptions the author shows the power and consequences of Deleuze’s theory of contingency as well as its major flaw – contingency is for Deleuze always thought as the Contingency, as the Event, as the eternal return of the One and that is in contradiction with the major task of philosophy as such for Deleuze: “to create is to resist”.