THE ABSTRACT MACHINE IN ITSELF IS DESTRATIFIED, DETERRITORIALIZED; IT HAS NO FORM OF ITS OWN (MUCH LESS SUBSTANCE) AND MAKES NO DISTINCTION WITHIN ITSELF BETWEEN CONTENT AND EXPRESSION, EVEN THOUGH OUTSIDE ITSELF IT PRESIDES OVER THAT DISTINCTION AND DISTRIBUTES IT IN STRATA, DOMAINS, TERRITORIES. AN ABSTRACT MACHINE IN ITSELF IS NOT PHYSICAL OR CORPOREAL, ANY MORE THAN IT IS SEMIOTIC; IT IS DIAGRAMMATIC (IT KNOWS NOTHING OF THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE ARTIFICIAL AND THE NATURAL EITHER). IT OPERATES BY MATTER, NOT BY SUBSTANCE; BY FUNCTION, NOT BY FORM. SUBSTANCES AND FORMS ARE OF EXPRESSION “OR” CONTENT. BUT FUNCTIONS ARE NOT YET “SEMIOTICALLY” FORMED, AND MATTERS ARE NOT YET “PHYSICALLY” FORMED. THE ABSTRACT MACHINE IS PURE MATTER-FUNCTION – A DIAGRAM INDEPENDENT OF THE FORMS AND SUBSTANCES, EXPRESSIONS AND CONTENTS IT WILL DISTRIBUTE.