Strengthening the Social Forces Foucault’s Panopticon Essay

In Foucault’s writing of Panopticon, he defines Panopticon as a mechanism of power used in regulating the society and the community which people are living in . Foucault discusses how rules, policies and laws are applied towards the society and how existence of hierarchy in the society has assigned individuals to play each of their own roles. Power is a natural constructed element embedded into the society. Moreover, Panopticon serves as a homogenous mixture between the process of the power and power schema, in addition , anyone from the outside world has the accessible passage towards this integrated disciplined model. The mechanisms or forces behind Panopticon is that â€Å"it aims to strengthen the social forces,† such as raising the whole†¦show more content†¦Throughout his work, his utterly emphasizes Panopticon as an apparatus which contains multiple purposes ranging from treating plague struck patients to enforcing school children in abiding school la ws. Therefore, it involves maximizing in the benefits of diverse social sectors. â€Å"It is polyvalent in its application; it serves to reform prisoners, but also to treat patients, to instruct schoolchildren, to confine the insane, to supervise workers, to put beggars and idlers to work† ( Foucault 220 ). On the other hand, he has mentioned that a form of surveillance has always existed among the man kind and he has proved his statement by referring to the plague which appeared during the seventeenth century. â€Å"The gaze is alert everywhere: â€Å"A considerable body of militia, commanded by good officers and men of substance,† guards the gates, at the town hall, and in every quarter to ensure the prompt obedience of the people and the most absolute authority of the magistrates,† (Foucault 210). I think this type of surveillance can be seen in nowadays such as security cameras hanging on the wall of malls, schools, supermarkets and office buildings. In my opinion, this is created by mankind inability to trust another person’s moral values and ethical behaviors. This might sounds indecent and threatens peoples’ characters but suspicious looks and awareness are indicated as something that has been put into priority. Hence,Show MoreRelatedSurveillanc e And Surveillance921 Words   |  4 Pagesdoing anything wrong, you are being watched and recorded.† Moreover, the critics of how the psychological and social impact can be seen through with philosophical viewpoints. Michel Foucault an, French philosopher recognized for his influential contributions in which one of his theories establishes the understanding between power and knowledge and how they are implemented as a form of social control through societal institutions. Also, it is crucial to understand that the types of surveillance mechanisms