Not yet registered? Create a OverBlog!

Create my blog

"Knowledge Is Power": An explanation

Foucault analysed knowledge and power relationships. He believed that knowledge and power were interlinked, that they could not be separated and that there was no field of knowledge that did not presuppose power relationships. Aware that knowledge and power come from observing others, he was aware of the link between surveillance and power relationships in a society.

Observation

The panopticon Foucault was aware that knowledge and power come from observation, and he used Bentham's panopticon as a metaphor for how they work in a society. The panopticon was a prison controlled by an all seeing central governor. Foucault realised that the governor's knowledge and his power were interrelated. Direct commands were not necessary all the time, as the prisoners would internalise the system and submit to power systems, if not voluntarily but submissively. Knowledge and power Foucauldian thought believes that fields of knowledge and power relationships were correlative.There is no field of knowledge without a correlative field of power and no field of power that does not assume some field of knowledge and which does not imply or constitute power relations. For Foucault power is not necessarily physical, as it can be social power of several kinds. It is possible that power might be positive, such as the power of doctor using knowledge to treat a patient; but it can be coercive, the power of the blackmailer with a hold on his victim. Truth Foucault develops the view that knowledge not only assumes the authority of the truth but can create its own truth. What he means by this is that while truth has its own authority, what people believe to be true and have the power to put into effect creates truths about the reality of the social world.

Concerns

Foucault's view that knowledge is power can be taken to mean that possessors of knowledge gain power to perform acts. This might be technical power, e.g. the electrician can harness electricity; it might be social power, as the skilled advertiser manipulates those exposed to adverts. Foucault is realising serious concerns about how knowledge and power are distributed. The Foucault panopticon is a metaphor for a surveillance society. As surveillance rises and the state gains more knowledge of its citizens, so does the power of the state, be it the positive power to serve its citizens or the negative power of coercion. The recent furore of media "hacking" in Britain is from a Foucauldian perspective a way in which the media gain power over the public, as by intruding into privacy they achieve the power to control. Foucault tried to alert the people to these problems.

Same category articles Literature

Top five memory books

Top five memory books

With the trend of tracing your family tree becoming increasingly popular in recent times, many people are discovering just how difficult it is to find documents relating to their ancestors. with that in mind, to make the process a little easier for generations to come, many people are choosing to record their details in memory journals or books. here, we will be looking at five of the best.
A guide to finding a great book

A guide to finding a great book

There are few things more satisfying than a really enjoyable book. conversely, there are few things more frustrating than a book that has a cheap plot, is badly written or just plainly dull. how do you find the good eggs and avoid the bad? read on for a few tips.
A biography of Les Brown, the motivational speaker

A biography of les brown, the motivational speaker

Les brown is a motivational speaker and author, whose message of high-energy, overriding positivity finds best expression in his urging people to "step into their greatness" and live their dream. a charismatic speaker, brown often focuses on helping young people improve their prospects in life. he has written several books and has also hosted a television talk show.
A review of Hind's Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

A review of hind's feet on high places by hannah hurnard

Hinds feet on high places is a spiritual allegory dealing with the journey of the crippled much afraid as it transforms into lithe grace and glory. the book takes its inspiration from pilgrim's progress and the bible and is well written. however, it is difficult to read it as a novel, as some elements are not properly explained.