From: "Damian Hodgson" <Damian.Hodgson-AT-umist.ac.uk> Subject: RE: power/knowledge Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2002 08:38:10 +0100 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. Also in the 1988 Kritzman collection ("Politics, Philosophy, Culture: Interviews and Other Writings 1977-1984"). "as far as the general public is concerned, I am the guy who said that knowledge merged with power ... If I had said, or meant, that knowledge was power I would have said so, and having said so, I would have nothing more to say, since, having made them identical, I don't see why I would have taken the trouble to show the different relations between them" (Foucault, 1988: 264). Damian ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Dr Damian E. Hodgson Manchester School of Management UMIST PO Box 88 MANCHESTER M60 1QD Tel. +44 (0)161 200 8791 E-mail: Damian.Hodgson-AT-umist.ac.uk <mailto:Damian.Hodgson-AT-umist.ac.uk> -----Original Message----- From: owner-foucault-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu [mailto:owner-foucault-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu]On Behalf Of Nathaniel Roberts Sent: 02 August 2002 00:43 To: foucault-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Subject: Re: power/knowledge In an interview in one on the three Rabinow edited volumes (sorry, I don't have the reference available at the moment) Foucault addresses the charge that he equates knowledge and power. He says he laughs whenever he hears that someone has attributed this thought to him; his purpose, he explains, is to investigate the *relationship* between knowledge and power. There could not be a relationship *between* them, he points out, if they were not *different* from each other. [This is probably the same article refered to in a previous posting by Clare O'Farrell, "Panopticon"] -Nate At 10:37 AM 7/28/2002 -0400, you wrote: >Thanks. That makes sense. I tried reversing the expression to read "power >is knowledge," and it did strike me as odd. In some cases they do seem to >be the same, while in others, not. For example, if you describe his work >as an "archaelogy of power" (rather than "knowledge), it does seem to be >an accurate description of what he did. > >Does anyone "know" what the words for "power" and "knowledge" are in French? > > >>From: Phil Ryan <philip_ryan-AT-carleton.ca> >>Reply-To: foucault-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu >>To: foucault-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu >>Subject: Re: power/knowledge >>Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2002 09:34:48 -0400 >> >> >> >>John Patrick wrote: >> >> > his basic >> > premise seems quite basic to me. The common expression "knowledge is >> power" >> > seems to summarize his position.There doesn't seem to be anything >> > revolutionary about that. >> >>As that great American philosopher, W.J. Clinton, once put it, it depends on >>"what the meaning of 'is' is" >> >>We regularly use the verb in English, without having to think about what >>heavy >>duty it does, how many shades of meaning it holds. >> >>For ex, we say that "2+2 is 4" and, conversely, "4 is 2+2" >> >>But "is" does not always entail this reversibility >> >>For example: Those who make the statement >> >>"Knowledge is power" >> >>are rarely willing to turn it around to say >> >>"Power is knowledge" >> >>One of the things that makes Foucault interesting for many of us is that >>he was >>willing to turn the phrase around. Foucault emphatically rejected the claim >>that he had simply identified knowledge with power, so it's better to >>read his >>claims as something like: >> >>knowledge <generates> power [ho-hum] >> >>power generates knowledge [more interesting, I think] >> >>One of the themes running through Discipline and Punish, to take one work, is >>how the prison and analogous institutions served to generate knowledge about >>human beings. Foucault would often suggest that the whole "human >>sciences" were >>informed by the knowledge flowing from such relations of power. >> >>It's a striking thesis, for me at least, and is worth playing with, and >>applying >>to different contexts to see how fruitful it is. >> >> >>Hope that that "is" helpful. >> >>Phil Ryan > > > > >_________________________________________________________________ >Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
HTML VERSION:
Also in the 1988 Kritzman collection ("Politics, Philosophy,
Culture: Interviews and Other Writings 1977-1984").
"as far as the
general public is concerned, I am the guy who said that knowledge merged with
power ... If I had said, or meant, that knowledge was power I would have said
so, and having said so, I would have nothing more to say, since, having made
them identical, I don't see why I would have taken the trouble to show the
different relations between them" (Foucault, 1988: 264).
Damian
Dr Damian E. Hodgson
Manchester School of Management
UMIST
PO Box
88
MANCHESTER
M60 1QD
Tel. +44 (0)161 200 8791
E-mail:
Damian.Hodgson-AT-umist.ac.uk <mailto:Damian.Hodgson-AT-umist.ac.uk>
-----Original
Message-----
From: owner-foucault-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
[mailto:owner-foucault-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu]On
Behalf Of Nathaniel
Roberts
Sent: 02 August 2002 00:43
To:
foucault-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
Subject: Re:
power/knowledge
In an interview in one on the three Rabinow edited
volumes (sorry, I don't
have the reference available at the moment) Foucault
addresses the charge
that he equates knowledge and power. He says he
laughs whenever he hears
that someone has attributed this thought to him; his
purpose, he explains,
is to investigate the *relationship* between knowledge
and power. There
could not be a relationship *between* them, he points
out, if they were not
*different* from each other. [This is probably
the same article refered to
in a previous posting by Clare O'Farrell,
"Panopticon"]
-Nate
At 10:37 AM 7/28/2002 -0400, you
wrote:
>Thanks. That makes sense. I tried reversing the expression to read
"power
>is knowledge," and it did strike me as odd. In some cases they do
seem to
>be the same, while in others, not. For example, if you describe
his work
>as an "archaelogy of power" (rather than "knowledge), it does
seem to be
>an accurate description of what he did.
>
>Does
anyone "know" what the words for "power" and "knowledge" are in
French?
>
>
>>From: Phil Ryan
<philip_ryan-AT-carleton.ca>
>>Reply-To:
foucault-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
>>To:
foucault-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
>>Subject: Re:
power/knowledge
>>Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2002 09:34:48
-0400
>>
>>
>>
>>John Patrick
wrote:
>>
>> > his basic
>> > premise seems
quite basic to me. The common expression "knowledge is
>>
power"
>> > seems to summarize his position.There doesn't seem to be
anything
>> > revolutionary about that.
>>
>>As
that great American philosopher, W.J. Clinton, once put it, it depends
on
>>"what the meaning of 'is' is"
>>
>>We regularly
use the verb in English, without having to think about
what
>>heavy
>>duty it does, how many shades of meaning it
holds.
>>
>>For ex, we say that "2+2 is 4" and, conversely, "4
is 2+2"
>>
>>But "is" does not always entail this
reversibility
>>
>>For example: Those who make the
statement
>>
>>"Knowledge is power"
>>
>>are
rarely willing to turn it around to say
>>
>>"Power is
knowledge"
>>
>>One of the things that makes Foucault
interesting for many of us is that
>>he was
>>willing to turn
the phrase around. Foucault emphatically rejected the
claim
>>that he had simply identified knowledge with power, so it's
better to
>>read his
>>claims as something
like:
>>
>>knowledge <generates> power
[ho-hum]
>>
>>power generates knowledge [more interesting, I
think]
>>
>>One of the themes running through Discipline and
Punish, to take one work, is
>>how the prison and analogous
institutions served to generate knowledge about
>>human beings.
Foucault would often suggest that the whole "human
>>sciences"
were
>>informed by the knowledge flowing from such relations of
power.
>>
>>It's a striking thesis, for me at least, and is
worth playing with, and
>>applying
>>to different contexts to
see how fruitful it is.
>>
>>
>>Hope that that "is"
helpful.
>>
>>Phil
Ryan
>
>
>
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>Chat
with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
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