Name: The Philosophy of Foucault
ISBN: 9780773531697

Todd May

This book examines Madness and Civilization, The Archeology of Knowledge, The Order of Things, Discipline nd Punish, and the multi-volume History of Sexuality. The author situates these key works in historical context and analyses them in relation to thinkers such as Freud, Nietzsche, and Sartre in an exploration of the lasting value of Foucault's ideas.

The Philosophy of Foucault

Lily

As of now, I think that where you begin with studying philosophy, is a matter of taste and audacity. Some will prefer to read introductions and secondary literature prior to picking up a formidable work of philosophy, and some would rather delve right in, armed with nothing but pure tenacity. I don't think that there is one universal method of dealing with philosophical theories and the best way to studying these works is what makes you keep reading. This book was my first attempt at reading on Foucault's philosophical endeavors. Knowing him to have a plethora of writings on widely different subjects with dynamic re-inventions and intersecting theorizing, I hoped to find an introductory reading that would assist me in gaining some insight into Foucault's work. Todd May's book on this subject turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. While clear and concise, this book does not sacrifice nuance for brevity. The introduction of the book presents an understandable structure of the central question Foucault aimed to pose and answer with his works ("Who Are We?") while also contrasting his rationale for asking this question with Descartes, Sartre and Freud. Having created this framework, May moves on in the next chapter to categorize Foucault's work into different periods, focusing on his observations regarding phenomenology and Marxism and detailing his notion of epistemes. In chapter 3, May draws from Foucault's genealogical works and introduces many of the concepts he worked with (chief among them, inversion and normalization), while drawing intriguing comparisons between Foucault and Nietzsche regarding the contingency and non-linearity of history. The much anticipated notion of power-knowledge is also discussed in this chapter. Chapter 4 concerns Ethics; Foucault's views on ancient notions of ethics are dissected, and his ideas regarding the emergence of who we are and who we ought to be are examined. The following chapter provides an interesting context for the man himself, turning the question of who we are on Foucault with regards to his academic and social activities. The final chapter considers critical viewpoint by Deleuze, Baudrillard and Lyotard, each regarding different aspects of Foucault's work, chief among them his views on discipline in society, historical narratives and power relations. I found this book a devoted invitation to engaging with Foucault's work from multiple angles, rather than a dry attempt at interpretation, and while it does not shy away from demonstrating the attacks on his viewpoints (especially in chapter 6), May succeeds at turning Foucault's philosophical framework into a valuable tool with lasting effect.

The Philosophy of Foucault

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