Power | Michel Foucault's Groundbreaking Theory of Power
Jun 6, 2022
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Dissecting Michel Foucault's groundbreaking theory of power, challenging traditional views, and introducing force relations as a key concept. Exploring how power operates at both a theoretical and empirical level and its impact on relationships and institutions worldwide.
Power is an omnipresent force of nature, not just hierarchical domination.
Foucault's theory highlights intentional choices within force relations, shaping individual and societal dynamics.
Deep dives
Foucault's Revolutionary Theory of Power
Foucault's theory of power challenges traditional views by defining power as an imminent and continuous force that influences society. He emphasizes that power is not wielded solely by the powerful over the powerless but is a complex network of force relations present in everyday life.
Intentional and Non-Subjective Nature of Power
Foucault's concept of power highlights that individuals make intentional choices within a non-subjective framework. Power guides decisions through various force relations, where resistance is internal and essential to the power dynamic.
Force Relations and Strategies in Power Dynamics
The core of Foucault's theory lies in force relations, the atomic units of power. These force relations interact, support, and confront each other, forming chains and systems that influence individual choices and societal structures. Strategies in power dynamics emerge as force relations crystallize into institutions, shaping laws, revolutions, and societal paradigms.
For Michel Foucault Power is critical to understanding the world we live in. Foucault's theory of power revolutionised the way we look at power from being a top-down domination to being an omnipresent force of nature. This episode is an introduction to the Foucault theory of power. We'll be explaining Foucault's theory in simple terms using examples from everyday life to show how revolutionary this new understanding of Power truly is.
A critical distinction in approaching Foucault's work on Power is the distinction between the Empirical and the Theoretical levels of Power. The empirical level is the study of historical crystallisations of power (for example disciplinary power or biopower). The Theoretical level of power however is the study of power in itself — what is common to power across all historical instantiations.
What we end up with is a Foucault theory of power that stands apart from all conceptions of power that went before. Instead of a top-down hierarchical domination hierarchy, Foucault's Power is an immanent, omnipresent force of nature like gravity or magnetism. For Foucault Power is everywhere from the interactions of lovers to those between states or colleagues. The fundamental atom of this force of nature is Foucault's Force Relations. ____________________ ⭐ Support the channel (thank you!) ▶ Patreon: https://patreon.com/thelivingphilosophy ▶ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thelivingphilosophy ________________ 🎶 Music Used: 1. Anguish— Kevin MacLeod 2. Lost Frontier— Kevin MacLeod 3. Despair & Triumph — Kevin MacLeod 4. There's Probably No Time — Chris Zabriskie 5. End of the Era — Kevin MacLeod 6. Lightless Dawn — Kevin MacLeod 7. Allegro — Emmit Fenn 8. Juniper — Kevin MacLeod
Subscribe to Kevin MacLeod [https://www.youtube.com/user/kmmusic] Subscribe to Chris Zabriskie youtube.com/c/chriszabriskie Subscribe to Emmit Fenn: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcmssGR3ICxlt_7eV47FUhQ _________________ ⌛ Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 0:59 Empirical vs Theoretical 1:57 What Power Isn't 3:32 What is Power? 4:12 Traits of Power: Immanence 5:04 Traits of Power: Intentional and Non-Subjective 6:19 Traits of Power: Resistance 7:35 Force Relations 9:23 Dynamism of Force Relations 11:52 The Alliance of Force Relations _________________ #foucault #thelivingphilosophy #philosophy #michelfoucault #power #postmodernism #theory #history
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