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I was pondering the quote on my signature yesterday. As you can see,
Foucault says that "thought, at the level of its existence, in its
very dawning" "cannot help but liberate and enslave." This is
perplexing. I've found that most of Foucault's work has critiqued not
thought itself, but rather the practices that it has (often
inadvertently) entailed. One conception of a problem can limit the
horizon of possible solutions; one conception of an individual or a
group can entail certain special treatments of that individual or
that group. But all of this seems to critique the practices that stem
from thought, rather than thought itself.
Clearly, thought is an action, but how can Foucault so easily say, as
he does in Intellectuals and Power, that "theory is practice?"
~Nate
- --
"Thought is no longer theoretical. As soon as it functions it
offends or reconciles, attracts or repels, breaks, dissociates,
unites, or re-unites; it cannot help but liberate and enslave.
Even before prescribing, suggesting a future, saying what must
be done, even before exhorting or merely sounding an alarm,
thought, at the level of its existence, in its very dawning, is
in itself an action--a perilous act."
-Michel Foucault
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Hash: SHA1
I was pondering the quote on my signature yesterday. As you can see,
Foucault says that "thought, at the level of its existence, in its
very dawning" "cannot help but liberate and enslave." This is
perplexing. I've found that most of Foucault's work has critiqued not
thought itself, but rather the practices that it has (often
inadvertently) entailed. One conception of a problem can limit the
horizon of possible solutions; one conception of an individual or a
group can entail certain special treatments of that individual or
that group. But all of this seems to critique the practices that stem
from thought, rather than thought itself.
Clearly, thought is an action, but how can Foucault so easily say, as
he does in Intellectuals and Power, that "theory is practice?"
~Nate
- --
"Thought is no longer theoretical. As soon as it functions it
offends or reconciles, attracts or repels, breaks, dissociates,
unites, or re-unites; it cannot help but liberate and enslave.
Even before prescribing, suggesting a future, saying what must
be done, even before exhorting or merely sounding an alarm,
thought, at the level of its existence, in its very dawning, is
in itself an action--a perilous act."
-Michel Foucault
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Version: PGPfreeware 6.5.8 for non-commercial use <http://www.pgp.com>
iQA/AwUBOiqurGPiNpsHufNqEQIrCQCgni6PlPj4pglyXUwjSiCQJb16HT0AmgN0
GHNbL2ndNYHXZUvX1z5tsvGZ
=daT+
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