Iconoclastic Theology: Gilles Deleuze and the Secretion of Atheism

This is a new reading of Deleuze’s whole corpus in light of his treatment of religion and theological themes. French philosopher Gilles Deleuze was vehemently opposed to the idea of the transcendental, yet still found value in religion – in its ability to ‘secrete atheism’. F. LeRon Shults explores Deleuze’s fascination with theological themes throughout his entire corpus. He brings Deleuzian concepts into dialogue with insights derived from the bio-cultural sciences of religion in order to increase the flow of a productive atheism. This is the first exposition of Deleuze’s radical critique of religion, demonstrating the crucial role this creative destruction plays throughout his philosophical corpus. It provocatively describes this aspect of Deleuze’s work as ‘theology’, following his own (paradoxical, humorous, diabolical) description of that discipline as ‘the science of non-existing entities’. It brings Deleuze studies into dialogue with the bio-cultural sciences of religion, which are transforming the current debates about the value of atheism in the academy and the public sphere.