Ali, Ferit, Nathan, Arianna, others
I too had some doubts about the equation of disciplinary society and
capitalism, but Ali's more nuanced response seems to allay some of those
fears.
> I think Foucault studies the relationship between the accumulation of men
and the accumulation of capital with the view of arriving at the conditions
of the possibility and continued sustenance of capitalism.
This seems to me to be a useful way to start to think through the
problematics. My sense is that if the enquiry looks at the conditions of
possibility we may find that those of capitalism and the (so called)
disciplinary society are the same, in essence.
> Your caution about economic reductionism is correct. I meant by
capitalism an order/civilisation? and not just an economic system and hence
the study of relation between the accumulation of men and accumulation of
capital (relation and not reduction!). Right from MC Foucault portrays
capitalism as a moral order and not just an economic system.
Rather than a 'moral' order, I like the notion of order as a way of
understanding capitalism. There are some very valuable remarks about order,
calculation, measurement and mathesis in The Order of Things, and these seem
to be valuable in reading Discipline and Punish. In the lecture course 'Il
faut defendre la societe' the politicising of The Order of Things is very
much in evidence.
Best wishes
Stuart
I too had some doubts about the equation of disciplinary society and
capitalism, but Ali's more nuanced response seems to allay some of those
fears.
> I think Foucault studies the relationship between the accumulation of men
and the accumulation of capital with the view of arriving at the conditions
of the possibility and continued sustenance of capitalism.
This seems to me to be a useful way to start to think through the
problematics. My sense is that if the enquiry looks at the conditions of
possibility we may find that those of capitalism and the (so called)
disciplinary society are the same, in essence.
> Your caution about economic reductionism is correct. I meant by
capitalism an order/civilisation? and not just an economic system and hence
the study of relation between the accumulation of men and accumulation of
capital (relation and not reduction!). Right from MC Foucault portrays
capitalism as a moral order and not just an economic system.
Rather than a 'moral' order, I like the notion of order as a way of
understanding capitalism. There are some very valuable remarks about order,
calculation, measurement and mathesis in The Order of Things, and these seem
to be valuable in reading Discipline and Punish. In the lecture course 'Il
faut defendre la societe' the politicising of The Order of Things is very
much in evidence.
Best wishes
Stuart