Famous Thinkers in History: Foucault

Michel Foucault studied in and influenced fields as wide-ranging as gender studies, criminology, literary criticism, history, and philosophy. He was a quiet advocate for gay rights, and is often cited by the gay rights movement. Foucault was involved politically, academically, and even briefly as a journalist.

After World War II, the world was fascinated with how populations were controlled, especially as they had been by fascist dictators. Foucault suggested that this approach to understanding “control” was poor. The big names, dictators especially, got a lot of attention. Foucault instead pointed to much more subtle systems of control, especially discipline and punishment, which convince us to “normalize” and consider “abnormal” behavior bad. It often isn’t a willful speaker striking a pulpit who influences our daily behavior, our acceptable dress and manners, and even our prejudices about homosexuality, race, or entitlement. This behavior is more typically learned from schools, the military, prisons, and factories, Foucault argued. Today, the anonymity of the internet offers a space where these controls can fall away. This gives us the infamous trolls, as well as whistleblowers like Julian Assange, who make it very difficult for governments to control information. Is the freedom to act anonymously, without the social restraint of identity, a useful good, or is the abuse of the internet proof of its danger? Perhaps both?

Foucault also recognized the influence of spirituality, and foresaw many social developments. If you missed Foucault, you missed one of the great thinkers of the 20^th century. Don’t worry, though – it isn’t too late to pick up your copy of Foucault For Beginners and learn about this amazing thinker today.