“The Subject and Power” by Michel Foucault

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Table of Contents

Michel Foucault’s idea of power
Power according to Foucault
Satisfaction
Definition of power
View compare to Foucault
Implications of ideas about power on public administration practice
Works Cited

Michel Foucault’s idea of power

Michel Foucault does not simply investigate the occurrence of power nor does he elaborate on its foundation. He says that power relations are very complex as there are almost no tools to study it. Foucault says that we need power relations in our modern economy. He believes that power is completely rational and it has an empirical form since it has a direct relation to our present states and situations. Some people even show a resistance towards the various forms and faces of power. They mainly do this to understand the power relations, determine its exact point of application and the various types of methods used. However, Foucault says that we should analyze power as an object of its internal rationality, instead of its “antagonism of strategies” (Foucault, 220). In order to understand what power is Foucault also asks us to understand the various forms of resistances and dissociations to power relations. He says that power is a “transversal struggle” (Foucault, 220) and thus, is not limited to a certain area. Power can be easily developed but we cannot confine it to a particular group or form of administrative government. If we exercise “uncontrolled power over people’s bodies, their health and their life and death” (Foucault, 220) then it leads to these “transversal struggles”. This makes people criticize the various “instances of power” (Foucault, 221) rather than them trying to locate a proper resolution for their problems. The effects of power are many and can be duly linked to qualifications, aptitude and most importantly knowledge. They oppose the “secrecy, deformation, and mystifying representations’ ‘ (pg 221) that are forced on individuals. He says that power when applied to the everyday life of the individuals categorizes him and also “marks him by his own individuality, attaches him to his own identity, imposes a law of truth on him…” (Foucault, 221)

Power according to Foucault

Foucault says that power has a specific nature of its own. Power comprises various obligatory tasks, it consists of certain gestures that can be imposed by apprenticeship or by traditions and sub-divisions that is obligatory to the distribution of labor. Those processes, which permit the operation of power, include training techniques, procedures for domination and certain ways to obtain obedience. The ways in which power operate does not simply depend on the various relations between individuals or their collective whole, but rather it can be defined as a specific manner by which various actions can modify others. Thus, we can simply assume that power, which has been accepted to exist universally both in a diffused and concentrated form, actually does not physically exist until and unless we exercise it and put it into some action. It also operates when we integrate it “into a disparate field of possibilities brought to bear upon permanent structures” (Foucault, 227). When power operates, it is no longer simply a function of authority. When considered as itself, power cannot be visualized as a denial of freedom or conveyance of rights. We can also define the operational use of power to be a mode or method of action based upon the various actions of other individuals. Power operates over the free subjects and only as long as they are considered free subjects. Sometimes when power is operational, freedom ceases to exist and thus, in these instances we cannot confront the operational use of power. Again for power to operate freedom is needed since “without the possibility of recalcitrance” (Foucault, 229) power cannot be operated.

Satisfaction

In some manner, I do find Foucault’s answers to be satisfactory, although he does not give any complete answers, but sometimes all his works seem to be vivid historical accounts, which do not clearly explain his thoughts. However, to a certain extent I do agree with Foucault’s idea of power. Unlike the older versions of power which, although they did include modern thinking, like feminism, always argued that power was only for a dominant group in society, Foucault believes that it is quite silly to think that power can be limited to only a certain set of people and not held by all the others. His idea that we can use power in certain situations, which produces both resistances and positive reactions, makes complete sense. I also find his ideas satisfactory, as they are not fixed. He says that identities and power differences in our society change depending on the nature of the situations, which is quite justified. It is also true that our life, destiny or power attained cannot be merely determined by apparent vivid facts about us, like our age, race, ethnicity or class. Although we sometimes have to consider these ideas relevant in society but as Foucault says, these cannot determine anything. It only tells us how people behave and use the techniques available for them. Thus, Foucault’s ideas and expressions appear to be attractive personally since he believes that people and power in this world is not limited or fixed in to particular roles and this model of thought makes much more sense.

Definition of power

According to me, power is a quantity that evaluates an individual’s capability to be able to direct, manage and organize the elements of the environment around him and be able to control the behavior and actions of other individuals. Power brings about a sense of authority in an individual and it has been alleged to be a justifiable object in our social structure. Some people see excessive power to be unjust and evil and feel that its use can make an individual immoral and unfair to others. However, in my view the simple exercise of power by an individual has been completely accepted by humans in our society since it is widespread and is present everywhere. We should not see power as evil or unfair. This is because the use may not always have to involve coercion in the form of a force or a threat to use force. According to me, power can have different outcomes when used in different ways. If used properly it can influence other individuals and even society in a positive manner. Although some people make a clear distinction between influence and power, according to me in order to be able to influence people and take authority over them, everyone needs to use power. I also think that power can be visualized to be in numerous forms of restrictions present on the human actions. Considering the ideological view of power, I also feel that sometimes, power has a negative effect too. It can influence people so much that their thoughts and wishes can be manipulated making them do and want those things which will not benefit them rather cause a detriment.

View compare to Foucault

My ideas about power have been motivated by Foucault’s perception on power which says that we can find power everywhere in this world. Like him, I also believe that power flows through all of our interactions and relations with others, which make perfect sense in the real world. His ideas also fit perfectly with modern theories, like feminism, as he too does not believe that power can be concentrated in only one group, which in this case are the women. Like him, I too believe that although power has certain definite limitations, it not only restricts certain human actions, but also is one of the forces which make those actions possible. Just like him, I too see power to be a multifaceted and planned situation, which is present in every modern society and has both capability and restraint. He disputes the universally held assumption, which says that power is an authoritarian and negative energy, which functions entirely through the processes of suppression, law and taboo. This idea according to me cannot be applied to a modern society and thus, Foucault is justified in challenging it. I also agree with Foucault’s model, which says that the disciplinary form of power can be used to target individuals and use them as mere objects, which can be trained and even manipulated. I too believe that the contemporary authorities of power have the capability of transforming an individual who is both an object and the vehicle of power. It is also my view that we can use power for creating knowledge since certain institutions have the power of determining those conditions that decides which statements can be considered true and which cannot be.

Implications of ideas about power on public administration practice

Michel Foucault has also coined the very well known term “governmentality” which emphasizes on the fact that modern day public governance and administrations practices normally functions by either leading or influencing the behavior and attitude of other individuals by working through their desires, surroundings and hopes. He stresses on the fact that political and disciplinarily power should not be considered a reduced activity of any state and the focus of any administrative or government practice should be the population. (Madigan, 168) Efficient administrative practices should utilize power so that it focuses on the population all together and concentrate its workings on the proper management of the various elements and life processes of society. The significance of Foucault’s ideas about power also lies on the fact that based on them the administrative activities now focus their workings by involving certain parameters like health, sickness, death, birth, diseases and even sexual relations. It is due to his ideas that the modern governmentality outline has been applied to various activities of global governance, like the manner in which the power held by both the international non-governmental and governmental organizations enable them to influence other nation states by inducing in them their own aspirations and ideas. Based on his ideas a number of practices, institutions, concepts and techniques of the administration have been devised that also includes genealogy and tries to analyze the past and the present through the domains and discourses of the administrative practices.

Works Cited

Foucault, Michel. “The Subject and Power.” Power critical concepts. Ed. John Scott. New York: Routledge, 1994. 208-224.

Madigan, Stephen P. “The application of Michel Foucault’s philosophy in the problem of externalizing discourse of Michael White.” Journal of Family Therapy 14.3 (1996): 265-279

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