Power | Michel Foucault's Groundbreaking Theory of Power

Jun 6, 2022

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.

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Exploring Michel Foucault's Theory of Power

00:00 • 13min

Exploring the Evolution of Power Relations and Institutions

13:19 • 2min

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.
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⌛ 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
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