The Experience Design Group

Interdisciplinary Change Agents

Empircism and Subjectivity

by Mahmoud Keshavarz

Deleuze’s first book Empiricism and Subjectivity (1953) examines David Hume’s theory of human nature. It is an inspirational, challenging and engaging work for those who think of ‘experience’ in relation to ‘political subjectivity’. What makes this book extremely interesting is Deleuze’s drawing forth a new aspect of political ontology/epistemology from Hume’s ideas. Political empiricism examines how subjectivity might be recognized through a system of experimental data. Deleuze follows notions such as ‘the given’,’ time’, ‘situation’ and ‘difference’ in order to define relations between mind, subjectivity, imagination and experience. Although this book does not elaborate Deleuze’s subsequent notions of resistance and emancipation, it nonetheless provides an initial outline of how a system of beliefs makes a static structure of experiences for human beings.