Diversification, Difference, Negation

The generally not fully appreciated significance of the studies of Difference by Deleuze and Derrida is that they constitute the first positive concepts of Diversification in intellectual history, in any tradition, regardless of the appreciation of Variety in ordinary experience. For, typically hitherto, either Multiplicity is presented as given, e. g. in Atomism, or else as a diminishment of Unity or of Nothingness. Deleuze emphasizes the positive character of his Difference when contrasting it with the Negative moment of the Dialectic. But, the same contrast applies to some non-Dialectical cardinal concepts, notably Independence, Freedom, and Individuation qua isolation.