What is bio power according to Foucault?

Foucault’s concept of biopower describes the administration and regulation of human life at the level of the population and the individual body – it is a form of power that targets the population (Rogers et al 2013).

What does Foucault think about truth?

The French philosopher Michel Foucault claimed that “truth isn’t outside power,” the “reward of free spirits,” nor, as Immanuel Kant imagined two centuries earlier, “the privilege of those who have succeeded in liberating themselves.” Rather, truth is produced by power—a generalized condition outside of which no one …

What are the five traits of truth that Foucault outlines?

Foucault identifies the creation of truth in contemporary western society with five traits: the centering of truth on scientific discourse, accountability of truth to economic and political forces, the “diffusion and consumption” of truth via societal apparatuses, the control of the distribution of truth by “political …

What were Foucault’s politics?

Foucault advocated resistance to the political status quo and the power of established institutions. But he was skeptical of any attempt to argue that one political regime or set of practices is morally superior to another.

What is meant by bio power?

Biopower is literally having power over bodies; it is “an explosion of numerous and diverse techniques for achieving the subjugation of bodies and the control of populations”. It produces a generalized disciplinary society and regulatory controls through biopolitics of the population”.

What is truth and power?

Truth and Power is an “investigative docuseries”, narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal and executive produced by Brian Knappenberger (The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz).

What is the relationship between truth and power?

‘Truth’ is linked in a circular relation with systems of power which produce and sustain it, and to effects of power which it induces and which extend it. A ‘regime’ of truth. This regime is not merely ideological or superstructural; it was a condition of the formation and development of capitalism.

What did Michel Foucault mean by biopower?

Foucault is speaking here of a power he later designates as “biopower”, a power which –significantly – has a ‘ positive influence on life’ (my italics).

Why was Michel Foucault so critical of theories?

Foucault is generally critical of “theories” that try to give absolute answers to “everything.”. Therefore, he considered his own “theory” of power to be closer to a method than a typical “theory.”. According to Foucault, most people misunderstand power.

How is the self produced according to Foucault?

For Foucault, the self is discursively produced over time by being subjected to the regulatory power relations of the discourses that it is positioned within (Barker 2008; 225). The subject (the person, the self, one’s identity) is thus the product of history and power.

How does Foucault’s conception of power relate to sexuality?

Foucault’s conception of power has underlain his argument on sexuality. He eschewed the conventional notion of power that is based on “juridico-discursive model.” This conception of power is essentially juridical, based on the statement of the law and taboo, and is seen as straightforwardly restrictive and repressive.