David Hale

Of Nomadology: Religion and the War Machine David Hale

This project shows how the work of the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze points us in the direction of understanding religion as essentially conflictive and violent. Many scholars have maintained that religion is able to serve some irenic or social function. These studies of religion are more apologetic than critical, defending religion¿s possibility and potential for individual and social good. This work attempts to look at religion differently - providing neither an apologetic for religion, nor a polemic against religion. This 'different' view of religion, inspired by Deleuze¿s lifelong fascination with an absolute and conflictive difference, extends beyond the limits of language into the realm of the metaphysical. He is the first and only so-called postmodernist to venture into this uncharted territory. Following Deleuze¿s own nomenclature, this study of the deep and essentially conflictive metaphysical differences found in religion will be called the nomadology of religion.