When it first appeared in France, Anti Oedipus was hailed as a masterpiece by some and "a work of heretical madness" by others. In it, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari set forth the following theory: Western society's innate herd instinct has allowed the government, the media, and even the principles of economics to take advantage of each person's unwillingness to be cut off from the group. What's more, those who suffer from mental disorders may not be insane, but could be individuals in the purest sense, because they are by nature isolated from society. More than twenty five years after its original publication, Anti Oedipus still stands as a controversial contribution to a much needed dialogue on the nature of free thinking.
Gilles Deleuze (1925 to 1995) was a professor of philosophy at the University of Paris.
Félix Guattari (1930 to 1992) was a militant analyst long active in the anti psychiatric movement in Europe.
Preface by Michel Foucault (1926 to 1984)
Translated by Robert Hurley, Mark Seem and Helen R. Lane