An "introduction to the nonfascist life" (Michel Foucault, from the
Preface)
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.