Theory & Philosophy Giorgio Agamben vs. Michel Foucault
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Nov 29, 2023 Exploring the disagreements between Agamben and Foucault on biopolitics, evolution of sovereign power, prisons and racialization, use of science to justify racism, bio-political power and its consequences, and perspectives on bare life and dehumanization.
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Foucault's Shift in Power
- Foucault highlights the shift from sovereign power to managerial and disciplinary power controlling life.
- Biopower arises from scientific knowledge used to efficiently regulate bodies and populations.
Agamben on Life and Sovereignty
- Agamben distinguishes between zoe (bare life) and bios (political life) while critiquing Foucault's narrow view.
- Sovereign power continuously controls both life forms, not just through biopolitics.
Agamben's Concept of Bare Life
- Agamben argues sovereign power consistently decides whose lives matter, a reality unchanged over time.
- He introduces homosacer, where some lives become 'bare life' with no political rights or value.