Foucault's View of Subjectivity

Subjectivity is the way in which an individual perceives the world, and it differs from one human being to another. Unlike objectivity, in which the object under consideration is considered based on observable facts that are perceived the same way by everyone, subjectivity is based on an individuals own experience of life and his own ideations. Subjectivity is based upon analysis of an individual's opinions, which, in turn, are based on his past experiences and what he knows from what he has learned in the course of his lifetime. This is colored by the individuals particular background and upbringing, the environment in which he lives, his developed likes and dislikes, prejudices and biases developed over his lifespan, and through his interactions with other human beings.

In his book, Ethics, Subjectivity and Truth, Michael Foucault's premise is that subjectivity is not something which is given to us, but instead is and effect of power, knowledge and other influences. Foucault draws a connection between subjectivity and power which has not been attempted before. In the 1980s, he became fascinated with the aesthetics of self, and as a result, he became attached to the Greek notion of "to take care of oneself." Foucault interpreted the self to be the outcome of human sciences and political control, but maintained that the ethics of "caring for oneself" was a way to exercise freedom. He saw self as developing a new form of subjectivity which came from power and knowl

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r of "inner dialogue" is seen as an appropriate path which takes the individual away from the confusion created in the absence of moral grounds. This process would necessarily require the development of an ethics of self. Foucault tries to show that the basic ideas which individuals accept as permanent truths about human nature and society, change during the course of history, and as a result, the claims made by Foucault challenge the writings of other philosophers and thinkers such as Karl Marx. Foucault's new concepts challenge the claims of others about various aspects of society, as he looks at various systems such as prisons, police, welfare, and the care of the mentally ill in this collection of his works. Foucault was heavily influence by the German philosophers Frederick Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger. Nietzsche held that human behavior is motivated by a will to power, while Heidegger was sharply critical of what he described as "our current technological understanding of being." Foucault examined the shifting patterns of power within a society and the manner in which power relates to the self. He examined rules which govern the claims that could be determined as true or false at various times in history, and deter

Category: Philosophy - F