On p. 138 of the Vintage edition of D&P, the following passage appears:
"A 'political anatomy', which was also a 'mechanics of power', was being
born; it defined how one may have a hold over others' bodies, not only so
that they may do what one wishes, but so that they may operate as one
wishes, with the techniques, the speed and the efficiency that one
determines." This makes it sound as if this "mechanics of power" involves
someone who has power exercising it, for a certain purpose, over someone
who does not; i.e. it sounds like a more traditional view of power, where
power is just a matter of one person (or group) forcing another person to
do something.
So I'm wondering: is the translation somehow misleading here (which is my
guess), is this just sloppiness on Foucault's part, or is it evidence of
some kind of equivocation?
----Matthew A. King------Department of Philosophy------McMaster University----
"The border is often narrow between a permanent temptation to commit
suicide and the birth of a certain form of political consciousness."
-----------------------------(Michel Foucault)--------------------------------
"A 'political anatomy', which was also a 'mechanics of power', was being
born; it defined how one may have a hold over others' bodies, not only so
that they may do what one wishes, but so that they may operate as one
wishes, with the techniques, the speed and the efficiency that one
determines." This makes it sound as if this "mechanics of power" involves
someone who has power exercising it, for a certain purpose, over someone
who does not; i.e. it sounds like a more traditional view of power, where
power is just a matter of one person (or group) forcing another person to
do something.
So I'm wondering: is the translation somehow misleading here (which is my
guess), is this just sloppiness on Foucault's part, or is it evidence of
some kind of equivocation?
----Matthew A. King------Department of Philosophy------McMaster University----
"The border is often narrow between a permanent temptation to commit
suicide and the birth of a certain form of political consciousness."
-----------------------------(Michel Foucault)--------------------------------