Been Outlining "The Geology of Morals" Today

 Luckily, John Protevi's already done it for me, so I've been copying by hand and reviewing his very thorough outline for the past three hours:





Major divisions of the plateau:

• •A General Theory of Stratification (40a-45)
• •The unity and diversity of a stratum relative to substances and forms (45a-57)
• •The variation between strata relative to content and expression (57a-64a)
• •Three problems [and a final distinction] remaining for Challenger (64b-72)
• •Summary/recapitulation and end of frame narrative (72a-74)

 Framing narrative:
Professor Challenger's lecture, mixing geology and biology according to his simian disposition (40a). Denounced by the audience; Challenger's discipline named; Challenger introduces terminology of his friend Hjelmslev (42b). Challenger admits digression, but no way to distinguish digressive and nondigressive (49a). Most of the audience had left by end of second section. Challenger had changed: dreaming of program for computers, an axiomatic for stratification; addresses himself to memory only (57a). Challenger rushed by line of time on third (human) stratum (63a). Challenger wants to go faster and faster; but no one left. Challenger deterritorializing on the spot (64b). Challenger finishing up; suffocating; pincers; oozing fluid; animal voice (72). Flight of Challenger: leaving for the plane of consistency. Panic is creation (73a).




A General Theory of Stratification (40a-45)     I.   Elementary terminology (40a-40c)                A.   BwO and Strata (40a)                          1.   Earth = BwO [= plane of consistency] [=limit of deterritorialization of all strata]                                    a.   unformed, unstable matters and flows                                    b.   free intensities [=relative regions w/in a plasma field]                                    c.   nomadic singularities [=thresholds; bifurcators for phase changes]                          2.   Strata [=thickening, slowing down of flows of BwO/plane of consistency]                                    a.   Giving form to matters                                              (1)  imprisoning intensities [=forming discrete bodies out of plasma field]                                              (2)  locking singularities into systems of resonance/redundancy [forming “habits”]                                              (3)  producing molecules on body of earth and organizing them into molar aggregates                                    b.   Acts of capture                                              (1)  Operate by coding and territorialization                                              (2)  Judgment of God                          3.   But the earth flees, becoming destratified, decoded, deterritorialized                B.   Paired strata; (40b)                          1.   Stratum/substratum                          2.   Surface of stratification                                    a.   “more compact plane of consistency between two layers”                                    b.   = machinic assemblage [actualizing of self-organizing process]                                              (1)  Facing strata = interstratum                                              (2)  Facing BwO or plane of consistency = metastratum      II.  Key concept: Double articulation: God is a Lobster (40c-42a)                A.   Conceptual distinction of the two articulations:                          1.   First articulation: sedimentation                                    a.   Selection/deduction from unstable particle flows of metastable molecular units (= substances)                                    b.   Imposition of statistical order of connections and successions (= forms)                          2.   Second articulation: “folding” [cf. De Landa Thousand Years 290n82: should be “cementation”]                                    a.   Establishes functional structures ( = forms)                                    b.   Constructs molar compounds that actualize these structures (= substances)                B.   Double articulation is not same as substance / form distinction (41a)                          1.   Substance = formed matters                                    a.   Forms imply codes                                    b.   Substances as formed matters refer to territorialities                          2.   Each articulation has a code and a territory; thus each has substance and form                          3.   Each articulation has its type of multiplicity                                    a.   First articulation = supple, more molecular [NB: the relative term], merely ordered                                    b.   Second articulation = more rigid, more molar, organized                                              (1)  Overcoding                                              (2)  Centering, unification, totalization, integration, hierarchization, finalization [goal-orientation]                          4.   Intra stratum relations                                    a.   Between segments in same articulation: binary relations                                    b.   Between segments of both articulations: biunivocal relationships                          5.   “Structure”: sum total of these relations and relationships (but not the last word of the earth)                C.   Example of double articulation on the level of the organic stratum (41b)                          1.   Skipping diversity of other strata [but these are doubly articulated as well]                          2.   Making the body an organism is a phenomenon of double articulation on different levels                                    a.   Morphogenesis                                    b.   Cellular chemistry                                    c.   Genetic code      III. New terminology introduced by the question of disciplinarity (42a-45a)                A.   Hjelmslev and his net: matter, content/expression, form/substance [nonlinguistic] (43a)                          1.   Matter = plane of consistency or BwO                          2.   Content = formed matters                                    a.   Substances = matters as chosen                                    b.   Form = order of choosing                          3.   Expression = functional structures (relative invariance); singing the glory of God                                    a.   Form = organization                                    b.   Substance = compound so established                          4.   First/second articulation is content/expression                                    a.   Isomorphism w/ reciprocal presupposition [=relation of content/expression]                                    b.   Always a real distinction [in the thing: scholastic terminology], but not pre-existing the relation                                    c.   By contrast, form/substance is only a mental or modal distinction                B.   Relativity of content/expression (44a)                          1.   They are only two variables of the function of stratification                                    a.   Vary from one stratum to another                                    b.   Intermingle                                    c.   Multiply and divide ad infinitum w/in same stratum                          2.   Articulations of content and expression are each double                                    a.   Intermediate states: levels, equilibriums, exchanges                                    b.   Form and substance of content as expression for other form and substance [at lower level]                                    c.   Thus each articulation is already double                          3.   Example on the organic stratum: proteins and nucleic acids                          4.   Resources necessary to make this conceptual machine work:                                    a.   Real distinction                                    b.   Reciprocal presupposition                                    c.   General relativism

The unity and diversity of a stratum relative to substances and forms (45a-57)     IV.  The question of the unity and diversity of a stratum (45a)                A.   Unity of composition of a stratum                          1.   Same molecular materials                          2.   Same substantial elements                          3.   Same formal relations                B.   Difference within stratum                          1.   Different molecules                          2.   Different substances                          3.   Different forms      V.       History of the question of unity and diversity of a stratum (45b-49a)                A.    Geoffrey Saint-Hilaire’s grandiose conception of stratification (45b)                          1.   Matter flowing through space: same on all strata                          2.   Processes of material relation                                    a.   Combustion: division on plane of consistency                                    b.   Electrification: constitutes strata                          3.   Specific unity of composition of organic stratum: the single abstract Animal; single machine                                    a.   Same molecular materials, elements (anatomical components), formal connections                                    b.   Different organic forms, organs, compound substances, molecules                          4.   Principle of unity and variety of organic stratum                                    a.   Isomorphism of form, but no correspondence                                    b.   Identity of elements or components, but no identity of compound substances                B.   Epistemological dialogue of the dead in puppet theater style (46a-47)                          1.   Geoffrey: isomorphism proved by “folding”                          2.   Cuvier: irreducible axes, types, branches                          3.   Vialleton: what is it that “folds”?                          4.   Geoffrey: need to consider “degrees of development or perfection”                          5.   Baer: degree of development is not same as type of form                          6.   Vialleton: must consider embryogenesis, which is not same as phylogenesis                C.   Politics of epistemology (47a)                          1.   Cuvier: man of power and terrain; Euclidean space                          2.   Geoffrey: prefigures nomadic man of speed; topology                D.   Darwin’s contributions to a science of multiplicites (47b-49)                          1.   Transformation of two factors explaining diversity w/in a stratum (47b)                                    a.   Degree of development — speeds, rates, coefficients, differential relations                                    b.   Types of forms — populations, packs, colonies, collectivities, populations                          2.   Forms as statistical results of populations (48a)                                    a.   Increased divergence of form leads to increased efficiency of occupation of a milieu                                    b.   Relationship of embryogenesis and phylogenesis is reverseds                                              (1)  Embryo does not match a form pre-established as fitting a milieu                                              (2)  But a population has range of relative forms to experiment with                          3.   Degrees of development as global and relative equilibriums or rates or differential relations (48b)                                    a.   Degrees of development are not pre-existent degrees of perfection on pre-established scale                                    b.   But differential relations / coefficients [btw selection and mutation] yielding advantages                                              (1)  Thus progress can be made through simplification, not just complexification                                              (2)  Thus populations and differential relations are productive of form                                                        (a)  not individuals matching a pre-existent form                                                        (b)  nor individuals progressing along a pre-existent continuum of perfection      VI.  Unity of composition of a stratum (49a)                A.   Materials                B.   Substantial elements (change in organization)                          1.   Materials furnish an exterior milieu (exterior to compounds, but w/in the stratum)                          2.   While the elements form an interiority                                    a.   Example of crystals                                    b.   Example of organic stratum 




My plan is to finish the outline, copy it in pencil into my book, proceed to outline the differences between this account of genesis and DeLanda's (which from what I can tell consists in pointing out a few subtle distinctions DeLanda omits, and one which he demonstrates D&G to have missed, outlined above (Stratification: II.A.2.), and hopefully begin to actually write the body paragraphs of the DeLanda section, since it's due tomorrow, after all.)


N.B. Sorry about the stupid disorganization of the outline. You can find Protevi's outline easily through Google search if you're really that interested.