PHILOSOPHY - Michel Foucault

Summary

Michel Foucault was a 20th-century French philosopher and historian who critically examined the power structures of modern society, challenging conventional views on institutions like prisons, medicine, and sexuality. Influenced by Nietzsche, Foucault sought to reveal how history can be used to improve contemporary life. He argued that many so-called 'progressive' developments were, in fact, more oppressive. His work encourages us to question dominant ideas and use history as a tool for critical analysis and improvement. Foucault's legacy lies in his ability to make history philosophically rich and relevant.

Takeaways

• 📚 Michel Foucault was a French philosopher and historian known for his critical examination of power structures in modern society.
• 🌟 Despite his revolutionary ideas, Foucault was deeply admired by elite intellectual circles, including Jean-Paul Sartre, and remains influential among university students.
• 🏠 Born into a privileged background, Foucault's personal struggles with mental health and his homosexuality shaped his views on societal norms and institutions.
• 📖 Foucault's encounter with Nietzsche's 'Untimely Meditations' was a turning point, leading him to use history as a tool for understanding and improving contemporary issues.
• 🤔 In 'Madness and Civilization,' Foucault challenged the notion that modern treatments of the mentally ill are more humane, arguing that historical attitudes were more tolerant.
• 🏥 'The Birth of The Clinic' criticized the medical profession for dehumanizing patients through a clinical 'gaze' that objectified them.
• ⚖️ 'Discipline and Punish' argued that modern punishment systems are more insidious because they hide the exercise of power, making resistance more difficult.
• 📚 Foucault's 'History of Sexuality' series contested the idea of sexual liberation in the modern era, advocating for a return to more spontaneous and imaginative approaches to sexuality.
• 💡 Foucault's work encourages a critical reevaluation of modern institutions and practices by examining their historical development and underlying power dynamics.
• 🌐 His approach to history as a resource for contemporary improvement, rather than a pursuit of factual accuracy, has been both celebrated and criticized by academic historians.

Q & A

Who was Michel Foucault and what was his primary focus?

Michel Foucault was a French 20th-century philosopher and historian known for his critical examination of power within the modern bourgeois capitalist state, including institutions like police, law courts, prisons, and medical professionals. His work aimed to understand and change power structures towards a Marxist-anarchist utopia.

How did Michel Foucault's upbringing influence his views?

Foucault came from a privileged background, with parents who were wealthy and part of a successful lineage of surgeons. His father, Dr. Paul Foucault, represented the bourgeois France that Michel would later critique. This upbringing likely influenced his perspective on power and the medical establishment.

What was the turning point in Foucault's intellectual life?

The turning point in Foucault's intellectual life occurred when he read Friedrich Nietzsche's essay 'On the Uses and Abuses of History for Life' in 'Untimely Meditations'. This essay inspired him to become a philosophical historian, using history to address contemporary issues.

What was Foucault's stance on the treatment of the mentally ill throughout history?

Foucault argued in 'Madness and Civilization' that the treatment of the mentally ill had not necessarily improved over time. He suggested that during the Renaissance, the mad were seen as possessing a kind of wisdom and were treated more tolerantly, contrasting with the later medicalization and institutionalization of mental illness.

How did Foucault view the evolution of medicine and its impact on patients?

In 'The Birth of The Clinic', Foucault critiqued the notion that medicine had become more humane over time. He believed that the 18th century marked the birth of the 'medical gaze', a dehumanizing perspective that viewed patients as a collection of organs rather than whole persons.

What was Foucault's perspective on modern punishment systems?

Foucault, in 'Discipline and Punish', argued that modern punishment systems were not more humane as commonly believed. He claimed that while public punishments in the past were brutal, they were transparent and could incite rebellion, whereas the modern prison system hides power's barbarity behind closed doors.

How did Foucault approach the history of sexuality in his work?

In 'History of Sexuality', Foucault challenged the idea that modern society had liberated and become more comfortable with sexuality. He argued that since the 18th century, sexuality had been medicalized and controlled by professionals, leading to a loss of spontaneity and imagination in sexual expression.

What did Foucault believe was the role of history in understanding the present?

Foucault believed that history should not be studied for its own sake but as a resource for finding ideas and examples that could help improve contemporary life. He encouraged looking at history critically to question and improve current societal norms and institutions.

How did Foucault's personal life experiences shape his academic work?

Foucault's personal experiences, including his struggle with his sexuality in a censorious society and his exploration of the underground gay scene, likely influenced his critical perspective on power structures and the treatment of marginalized groups.

What was the academic community's reception of Foucault's work?

Academic historians often criticized Foucault's work for perceived inaccuracies and a lack of concern for total historical accuracy. However, Foucault's approach to history as a source of ideas for contemporary improvement was influential and continues to inspire critical examination of societal norms.

How did Foucault's work contribute to the field of philosophy and history?

Foucault's work contributed to the fields by challenging conventional narratives of progress and by offering a critical perspective on power dynamics within institutions. His approach to history as a tool for understanding and improving the present made philosophy and history more relevant and engaging.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Foucault's Background and Early Struggles

Michel Foucault, a French philosopher and historian, spent his career critically analyzing the power structures of the modern state, with a vision of transforming society towards a Marxist-anarchist utopia. Despite his revolutionary ideas, Foucault hailed from a wealthy, privileged background that he rarely discussed. His early life was marked by struggles with his mental health and sexuality, which were at odds with the bourgeois expectations placed on him. These personal challenges deeply influenced his intellectual journey, leading him to a radical critique of society's institutions.

05:02

📚 Foucault's Intellectual Awakening and Masterpieces

Foucault's intellectual trajectory was profoundly shaped by his encounter with Nietzsche's work, particularly the essay 'On the Uses and Abuses of History for Life,' which inspired him to use history as a tool for understanding and addressing contemporary issues. This shift led to the publication of his first major work, 'Madness and Civilization,' where Foucault challenged the notion that modern treatment of mental illness is more humane than in the past. He argued that the Renaissance had a more respectful approach to madness, which was later replaced by dehumanizing medicalization and institutionalization.

🏛️ Critique of Modern Punishment and Sexuality

In 'Discipline and Punish,' Foucault critiqued the modern penal system, arguing that it is more insidiously barbaric than past forms of public punishment because it hides power behind a facade of kindness. He showed how modern punishment suppresses rebellion by removing it from the public eye. In his later work, 'History of Sexuality,' Foucault critiqued the medicalization of sex, contrasting it with past cultures that celebrated sexual pleasure. He argued that modern society's approach to sex, despite its claims of liberation, is more repressive and less imaginative.

🕰️ Foucault's Legacy: Reinterpreting History for Modern Critique

Foucault's work revolutionized the way we view history, encouraging a critical re-examination of modern institutions by looking to the past for alternative ways of thinking. While academic historians often criticized his work for its lack of accuracy, Foucault was less concerned with precise historical details and more focused on using history as a resource for contemporary life. His lasting contribution is in making history a tool for philosophical inquiry and societal critique, inspiring us to question dominant ideas and institutions.

Keywords

💡Michel Foucault

Michel Foucault was a prominent French philosopher and historian known for his critical examination of power structures within modern society. His work focused on institutions such as prisons, hospitals, and schools, analyzing how they exert control and shape societal norms. In the video, Foucault's life and work are central to understanding his critique of modern capitalist states and his pursuit of a Marxist-anarchist utopia.

💡Power Structures

Power structures refer to the systems and institutions that hold and exercise authority and control over individuals and societies. In the context of the video, Foucault's work is dedicated to deconstructing these structures, particularly within the bourgeois capitalist state, to reveal how they operate and maintain dominance.

💡Marxist-Anarchist Utopia

A Marxist-anarchist utopia, as mentioned in the video, represents an ideal society envisioned by Foucault, which is free from the oppressive structures of capitalism and the state. It is a society where power is distributed more equitably and individuals are liberated from the constraints of bourgeois norms.

💡Medicalization

Medicalization is the process by which non-medical issues are defined and treated as medical problems. In the video, Foucault critiques the medicalization of mental illness, sexuality, and other aspects of human life, arguing that this process dehumanizes individuals and pathologizes natural variations in human experience.

💡Madness and Civilization

This is one of Foucault's seminal works that challenges the notion that modern societies treat the mentally ill more humanely than in the past. The video explains how Foucault argues that the mad were once revered for their perceived wisdom but were later confined and medicalized, reflecting a shift in societal attitudes rather than genuine progress.

💡The Birth of The Clinic

In this book, Foucault critiques the medical profession's evolution, particularly the emergence of the 'medical gaze,' which objectifies patients by viewing them as collections of organs rather than whole persons. The video uses this concept to illustrate Foucault's argument that modern medicine's approach can be dehumanizing.

💡Discipline and Punish

This key work by Foucault is mentioned in the video to discuss the evolution of state punishment. Foucault argues that while modern punishment systems may appear more humane, they are in fact more insidious because they operate in private, removing the possibility for public sympathy and resistance.

💡History of Sexuality

Foucault's multi-volume work challenges the idea of progressive liberation in sexual matters. Instead, he posits that modern society has medicalized and pathologized sex, leading to a loss of erotic art and spontaneity. The video uses this work to highlight Foucault's critique of the 'scientia sexualis' and his nostalgia for a more imaginative approach to sexuality.

💡Ars Erotica

Ars Erotica, or 'erotic art,' is a concept from Foucault's 'History of Sexuality' that contrasts with the 'scientia sexualis.' It refers to a cultural focus on enhancing the pleasure and experience of sex rather than categorizing and medicalizing it. The video mentions this to emphasize Foucault's view of historical cultures that prioritized pleasure over scientific analysis.

💡Nietzsche's Influence

Nietzsche's work had a profound impact on Foucault's intellectual development, as mentioned in the video. Nietzsche's rejection of disinterested historical study and his emphasis on using history to inform the present resonated with Foucault, leading him to become a philosophical historian who used history to critique and inform contemporary issues.

Highlights

Michel Foucault was a French philosopher and historian known for his critiques of the power structures of the modern capitalist state.

Foucault aimed to understand how power operates and sought to change it towards a Marxist-anarchist utopia.

He became popular in elite Parisian intellectual circles and was admired by Jean-Paul Sartre.

Foucault's privileged background included a family of successful surgeons, which he seldom discussed.

He had a troubled youth, marked by self-harm and suicidal thoughts, leading to psychiatric treatment.

His encounter with Nietzsche's essay 'On the Uses and Abuses of History for Life' in 1953 significantly influenced his intellectual direction.

Foucault's first major work, 'Madness and Civilization,' challenged the view that modern treatment of mental illness is more humane than in the past.

He argued that during the Renaissance, the mentally ill were considered different but not necessarily crazy, and were allowed to wander freely.

'Discipline and Punish' examined the evolution of the penal system, arguing that modern prisons are more about control than humanity.

Foucault's concept of the 'medical gaze' criticized the dehumanizing nature of modern medicine, focusing solely on bodily functions.

In 'The Birth of the Clinic,' he critiqued the rise of professional medicine and its focus on categorizing and controlling patients.

Foucault's 'History of Sexuality' series explored how sexuality became medicalized and controlled by scientific discourse.

He compared the modern approach to sex with past cultures that focused more on pleasure and less on scientific understanding.

Foucault's work emphasized questioning modern institutions by examining their historical roots and evolution.

Despite criticism from academic historians for his lack of accuracy, Foucault's approach made history philosophically rich and life-enhancing.

Transcripts

Michel Foucault was a French 20th century philosopher and historian

who spent his career forensically criticizing the power

of the modern bourgeois capitalist state, including its

police, law courts, prisons, doctors and psychiatrists.

His goal was to work out nothing less

than how power worked and then to change it in the direction

of a marxist-anarchist utopia. Though he spent most of his life in libraries and

seminar rooms,

he was a committedly revolutionary figure. He met with enormous popularity

in elite Parisien intellectual circles. Jean-Paul Sartre admired him deeply

and he still maintains a wide following among young people studying at university

in the prosperous corners of the world. His background,

which he was extremely reluctant ever to talk about and tried to prevent

journalists from investigating at all costs,

was very privileged. Both his parents were inordinately rich

coming from a long line of successful surgeons in Poitiers, in west central France.

His father, Dr. Paul Foucault, came to represent

all that Michel would hate about bourgeois France.

Michel had a standard upper class education.

He went to elite Jesuit institutions, was an altar boy,

and his parents hoped he would become a doctor. But Michel wasn't quite like other boys.

He started self-harming and thinking constantly of suicide.

At University, he decorated his bedroom with images of torture by Goya.

When he was 22, he tried to commit suicide and was forced by his father,

against his will,

to see France's most famous psychiatrist, Jean Delay, at the Hôpital Sainte-Anne in Paris.

The doctor wisely diagnosed that a lot of Michel's distress

came from having to keep his homosexuality and, in particular,

his interest in extreme sadomasochism away from a censorious society.

Gradually, Foucault entered the underground gay scene in France,

fell in love with a drug dealer and then took up with a transvestite.

For long periods in his twenties, he went to live abroad in Sweden, Poland and Germany,

where he felt his sexuality would be less constrained.

All the while, Foucault was progressing up the French academic ladder. The seismic event to his intellectual life

came in the summer of 1953, when Foucault was 27

and on holiday with a lover in Italy. There, he came across Nietzsche's book

"Untimely Meditations" which contains an essay called

"On the Uses and Abuses of History for Life".

In the essay, Nietzsche argued that academics had poisoned our sense of how history

should be read and talked.

They made it seem as if one should read history in some sort of a disinterested way

in order to learn how it all was in the past.

But Nietzsche rejected this with

sarcastic fury.

There was no point learning about the past for its own sake,

the only reason to read and study history is to dig out from the past

ideas, concepts and examples which can help us to lead

a better life in our own times. This essay liberated Foucault intellectually

as nothing had until then. Immediately, he changed the direction of his work

and decided to become a particular kind of philosophical historian:

someone who could look back into the past to help to sort out the

urgent issues of his own time. Eight years later,

he was ready to publish what's recognizes as his first masterpiece:

"Madness and Civilization".

The standard view is that we now treat people with mental illness in so much more of a humane way

than we ever did in the past. After all, we put them in hospitals, give them drugs

and get them looked after by people with PhD's.

But this was exactly the attitude that Foucault wished to demolish in "Madness and Civilization."

In the book, he argued that things way back in the Renaissance

were actually far better for the mad, than they subsequently became.

In the Renaissance, the mad were felt to be different

rather than crazy. They were thought to possess a kind of wisdom

because they demonstrated the limits of reason.

They were revered in many circles

and were allowed to wander freely.

But then, as Foucault's historical researches showed him,

in the mid 17th century, a new attitude was born that relentlessly medicalized

and institutionalized mentally ill people. No longer were they allowed to live alongside

the so-called sane,

they were taken away from their families and locked up in asylums and seen as people

one should try to cure

rather than tolerate for just being different.

You can recognize a very similar, underlying philosophy

in Foucault's next great book: "The Birth of The Clinic."

His target here was medicine more broadly.

He systematically attacked the view that medicine had become more humane with time.

He conceded that, of course, we have better drugs and treatments now

but he believed that in the 18th century the professional doctor was born

and that he was a sinister figure who would look at the patient always with,

what Foucault called, the "medical gaze,"

denoting a dehumanizing attitude;

that looked at a patient just as a set of organs, not a person.

One was, under the medical gaze, merely a malfunctioning

kidney or liver, not a person to be considered as a whole entity.

Next in Foucault's oeuvre came: "Discipline and Punish."

Here, Foucault did his standard thing on state punishment.

Again, the normal view is that the prison and punishing systems of the modern world

are so much more humane than they were in the days when people just used to be

hung in public squares. Not so, argued Foucault.

The problem, he said, is the power now looks kind

but isn't, whereas in the past it clearly wasn't kind

and therefore could encourage open rebellion in protest.

Foucault noted that in the past, in an execution, a convict's body

could become a focus of sympathy and admiration, and the executioner

rather than the convict, could become the locus of shame.

Also, public executions often led to riots in support of the prisoner,

but, with the invention of the modern prison system, everything happened in

private, behind locked gates;

one could no longer see and, therefore resist, state power.

That's what made the modern system of punishment so barbaric

and properly primitive in Foucault's eyes.

Foucault's last work was the multi-volume

"History of Sexuality."

In the manoeuvres he performed in relation to sex

are again very familiar. Foucault rebelled against the view

that we're all now deeply libarated and at ease with sex.

He argued that since the 18th century, we have relentlessly

medicalized sex, handing it over to professional sex researchers and scientists.

We live in an age of what Foucault called "scientia sexualis" ("science of sexuality")

But Foucault looked back with considerable nostalgia

to the cultures of Rome, China and Japan,

where he detected the rule of, what he called, an "ars erotica"

("erotic art"),

where the whole focus was on how to increase the pleasure of sex

rather than merely understand and label it.

Once again, modernity was blamed for pretending there'd been progress when there was in fact

just the loss of spontaneity and imagination.

Foucault wrote the last volume of this work while dying of AIDS,

that he had contracted in a San Francisco gay bar.

He died in 1984, age 58.

Foucault's lasting contribution is to the way we look at history.

There are lots of things in the modern world that we're constantly being told

are "fantastic," and were apparently very bad in the past; for example

education or the media or our communication systems.

Foucault encourages us to breakaway from optimistic smugness

about now and to go back and see in history many ways of doing things

which were perhaps superior. Foucault wasn't trying to get us to be

nostalgic, he wanted us to pick up some lessons of way back

in order to improve how we live now. Academic historians

have tended to hate Foucault's work.

They think it inaccurate and keep pointing out things

he hadn't quite understood in some document or other,

but Foucault didn't care for total historical accuracy.

History for him was just a storehouse of good ideas,

and he wanted to raid it rather than keep it pristine and untouched.

We should use Foucault as an inspiration to look at the dominant ideas and

institutions of our times,

and to question them by looking at their histories and evolutions.

Foucault did something remarkable: he made history life-enhancing

and philosophically rich again. He can be an inspiring figure

for our own projects.