Regarding the analytic/continental debate:
I would like to second Miles Jackson's excellent post on the mythological
status of the statement that "Foucault says there is no truth."
I'd only add two things:
1). While Miles is right that Foucault "has no interest in epistemology,"
he also has no interest in ontology, or at least in answering ontological
questions. So while revolutions happen, yes, the question of whether
Revolution Happens is uninteresting to Foucault.
2). Focusing on "statements," while applicable to the Archeology of
Knowledge primarily, doessn't begin to approach the questions addressed
elsewhere, say in Discipline and Punish or the History of Sexuality.
Focusing only on statements makes Foucault sound like Bruno Latour (or a
parody of Latour).
Come to think of it, Latour owes a lot more to Foucault than he lets on.
But that's another post.
Would it be possible to do a Foucauldian analysis of the myth that
Foucault says there is no truth? Probably. Any takers?
Cheers,
David
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David Kellogg No ideas but in things.
University Writing Program --William Carlos Williams
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708 No ideas in things, either.
kellogg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx --John Ashbery
------------------
I would like to second Miles Jackson's excellent post on the mythological
status of the statement that "Foucault says there is no truth."
I'd only add two things:
1). While Miles is right that Foucault "has no interest in epistemology,"
he also has no interest in ontology, or at least in answering ontological
questions. So while revolutions happen, yes, the question of whether
Revolution Happens is uninteresting to Foucault.
2). Focusing on "statements," while applicable to the Archeology of
Knowledge primarily, doessn't begin to approach the questions addressed
elsewhere, say in Discipline and Punish or the History of Sexuality.
Focusing only on statements makes Foucault sound like Bruno Latour (or a
parody of Latour).
Come to think of it, Latour owes a lot more to Foucault than he lets on.
But that's another post.
Would it be possible to do a Foucauldian analysis of the myth that
Foucault says there is no truth? Probably. Any takers?
Cheers,
David
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David Kellogg No ideas but in things.
University Writing Program --William Carlos Williams
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708 No ideas in things, either.
kellogg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx --John Ashbery
------------------