Deleuze, Mindfulness, and a Life Worth Living

It begins with a paradox. Gilles Deleuze’s work is deeply concerned with ethics—his understanding of thought is imbued with ethical principles. Yet, he is rarely the first philosopher to come to mind when we think about ethics. Why is that?

One possible reason is that Deleuze remains relatively unknown outside of philosophical circles. Within philosophy, however, he is widely regarded as one of the most original voices of the 20th century. A more fundamental reason, though, lies in how we conceptualize ethics. Many people conflate ethics with morality—a fixed set of values and norms that dictate right and wrong. However, for Deleuze, ethics is not moralism but an explorative way of living.

As Michel Foucault once wrote in the preface to Anti-Oedipus, Deleuze’s collaboration with Félix Guattari, “Anti-Oedipus is a book of ethics … being anti-oedipal has become a lifestyle, a way of thinking and living.” Ethics, in this Deleuzian sense, is not about conforming to a pre-existing moral code but about experimenting with ways of living and thinking. If we live miserably, it is because we think that way. If our thinking is rigid or banal, it is because we live that way. Ethics becomes a form of therapy—not in the sense of normalizing or healing, but in the sense of intensifying and unfolding life’s possibilities.

This therapeutic approach to ethics is also found in two of Deleuze’s key philosophical influences: Friedrich Nietzsche and Baruch Spinoza. Nietzsche envisioned the philosopher as a physician, diagnosing and treating the ailments of thought and culture. Philosophy, he suggested, is not about discovering absolute truths but about enhancing life, power, and health. Spinoza, meanwhile, saw philosophy as a practice of wisdom—one that leads to a greater understanding of our connections with the world and others.

Thus, ethics is about growth, transformation, and maturity. A mature life recognizes its interconnection with other forms of life, both organic and inorganic. Ethics is not just about making good choices—it is about cultivating a way of being that is deeply engaged with the world.

This idea has ancient roots. In 5th-century BCE Greece, philosophy emerged as a radical therapy for life. For example, Socrates insisted that everything should be questioned and examined. The goal was to acquire knowledge and learn how to live well. At its best, philosophy is not an abstract discipline removed from daily concerns—it is a way of making life more bearable, vibrant, and meaningful.

Ludwig Wittgenstein once asked in a letter to a friend, “What is the use of studying philosophy if all it does for you is to enable you to talk with some plausibility about abstruse questions in logic … if it does not improve your thinking about the important questions of everyday life, if it does not make you more conscientious?” This question remains relevant today. What is more important than life? What could be of greater interest than determining which life is worth living—not just for oneself, but for everyone?

Deleuze’s ethics invites us to consider three interrelated questions:

1. How do you experience the present living moment?
2. How do you experiment with the present living moment?
3. How do you actualize what is unknown but nevertheless real in the present living moment?

These questions suggest that ethics is not just about individual choices but about a fundamental engagement with life. It is an active, affirmative process of becoming.

To illustrate this, we can relate Deleuze’s thinking to meditation—specifically, mindfulness. Mindfulness, a key practice in Buddhist traditions, is often defined as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” It is about being fully aware of what is happening without filters, interpretations, or judgments.

Mindfulness aligns with Deleuze’s ethics in two crucial ways. First, it cultivates a heightened awareness of the present, helping us see more clearly and respond with greater flexibility. Second, it creates a space for new possibilities, allowing experience to unfold with openness rather than rigid expectations. While mindfulness often focuses on deepening perception of the present, Deleuze invites us to take an additional step—one of affirmation and creation. Rather than simply witnessing life as it is, his philosophy encourages us to actively shape and experiment with new ways of living. In this sense, mindfulness can provide the fertile ground for the kind of ethical becoming that Deleuze envisions.

A life worth living, then, is one that fully experiences the present and experiments with new ways of being. Deleuze’s ethics, with its transformative power, encourage us to let go of fixed identities, preconceived knowledge, and rigid structures. It is an ethics of becoming—one that continuously questions, transforms, and expands.

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Simone Weil once described attention as a profound act in which the “I” disappears. In this moment of pure attention, one becomes someone else. This idea resonates with Deleuze’s notion of transformation: to truly live ethically, we must be willing to change, be affected, and become.

Ultimately, a life worth living is not one defined by fixed moral codes or rigid identities but one that remains open, curious, and engaged. It is a life that moves not from certainty to certainty but from question to question. In embracing this ethical thinking, we do not merely live—we create life anew, fostering a sense of curiosity and engagement.