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Cours au Collège de France/Lectures at the Collège de France #9
Για την κυβέρνηση των ζωντανών: Παραδόσεις στο Κολέγιο της Γαλλίας
Ένας κύκλος παραδόσεων με κομβική θέση στην εξέλιξη της σκέψης του Μισέλ Φουκώ. Στις παραδόσεις αυτές, που δόθηκαν στο Κολέγιο της Γαλλίας το πρώτο τρίμηνο του 1980, ο Φουκώ συνεχίζει την ιστορία των «καθεστώτων αλήθειας», η οποία διαπερνά το σύνολο της διδασκαλίας του, δίνοντάς της μια μείζονα στροφή: η διερεύνησή του, που είχε ξεκινήσει στο δικονομικό και δικαστικό πεδίο, και είχε επεκταθεί στο πολιτικό, με τη θεματική των σχέσεων εξουσίας-γνώσης και μετά με τη θεματική της κυβερνητικότητας, περνά εδώ στο πεδίο των πρακτικών και των τεχνικών του εαυτού, στο πεδίο της ηθικής, το οποίο ο Φουκώ δεν έμελλε να εγκαταλείψει ποτέ πια.
«Πώς γίνεται στον χριστιανικό δυτικό πολιτισμό η κυβέρνηση των ανθρώπων να ζητά από μέρους των κυβερνωμένων, εκτός από πράξεις υπακοής και υποταγής, και “πράξεις αλήθειας”, που έχουν την ιδιαιτερότητα ότι το υποκείμενο δεν απαιτείται μόνο να λέει την αλήθεια, αλλά να λέει την αλήθεια για τον εαυτό του, για τα σφάλματά του, για τις επιθυμίες του, για την κατάσταση της ψυχής του, κ.ο.κ.;» αναρωτιέται ο Φουκώ. Το ερώτημα αυτό τον οδηγεί από μια νέα ανάγνωση του Οιδίποδα τύραννου του Σοφοκλή στην ανάλυση των «πράξεων αλήθειας» που χαρακτηρίζουν τον αρχέγονο χριστιανισμό, μέσα από τις πρακτικές της βάπτισης, της μετάνοιας και της καθοδήγησης της συνείδησης. Ο Φουκώ επικεντρώνεται στις πράξεις με τις οποίες ο πιστός οδηγείται στη φανέρωση της αλήθειας του εαυτού του ως όντος απείρως ελαττωματικού. Από τη δημόσια έκφραση της αμαρτωλής του κατάστασης στην τελετουργία της μετάνοιας, μέχρι τη διεξοδική ρηματοποίηση των πιο μύχιων σκέψεών του στην εξέταση της συνείδησης, αυτό που βλέπουμε να σκιαγραφείται είναι η οργάνωση μιας ποιμαντικής οικονομίας επικεντρωμένης στην ομολογία.
«Πώς γίνεται στον χριστιανικό δυτικό πολιτισμό η κυβέρνηση των ανθρώπων να ζητά από μέρους των κυβερνωμένων, εκτός από πράξεις υπακοής και υποταγής, και “πράξεις αλήθειας”, που έχουν την ιδιαιτερότητα ότι το υποκείμενο δεν απαιτείται μόνο να λέει την αλήθεια, αλλά να λέει την αλήθεια για τον εαυτό του, για τα σφάλματά του, για τις επιθυμίες του, για την κατάσταση της ψυχής του, κ.ο.κ.;» αναρωτιέται ο Φουκώ. Το ερώτημα αυτό τον οδηγεί από μια νέα ανάγνωση του Οιδίποδα τύραννου του Σοφοκλή στην ανάλυση των «πράξεων αλήθειας» που χαρακτηρίζουν τον αρχέγονο χριστιανισμό, μέσα από τις πρακτικές της βάπτισης, της μετάνοιας και της καθοδήγησης της συνείδησης. Ο Φουκώ επικεντρώνεται στις πράξεις με τις οποίες ο πιστός οδηγείται στη φανέρωση της αλήθειας του εαυτού του ως όντος απείρως ελαττωματικού. Από τη δημόσια έκφραση της αμαρτωλής του κατάστασης στην τελετουργία της μετάνοιας, μέχρι τη διεξοδική ρηματοποίηση των πιο μύχιων σκέψεών του στην εξέταση της συνείδησης, αυτό που βλέπουμε να σκιαγραφείται είναι η οργάνωση μιας ποιμαντικής οικονομίας επικεντρωμένης στην ομολογία.
656 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
23 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
Michel Foucault
768 books6,547 followersPaul-Michel Foucault was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationships between power and knowledge, and how they are used as a form of social control through societal institutions. Though often cited as a structuralist and postmodernist, Foucault rejected these labels. His thought has influenced academics, especially those working in communication studies, anthropology, psychology, sociology, criminology, cultural studies, literary theory, feminism, Marxism and critical theory.
Born in Poitiers, France, into an upper-middle-class family, Foucault was educated at the Lycée Henri-IV, at the École Normale Supérieure, where he developed an interest in philosophy and came under the influence of his tutors Jean Hyppolite and Louis Althusser, and at the University of Paris (Sorbonne), where he earned degrees in philosophy and psychology. After several years as a cultural diplomat abroad, he returned to France and published his first major book, The History of Madness (1961). After obtaining work between 1960 and 1966 at the University of Clermont-Ferrand, he produced The Birth of the Clinic (1963) and The Order of Things (1966), publications that displayed his increasing involvement with structuralism, from which he later distanced himself. These first three histories exemplified a historiographical technique Foucault was developing called "archaeology".
From 1966 to 1968, Foucault lectured at the University of Tunis before returning to France, where he became head of the philosophy department at the new experimental university of Paris VIII. Foucault subsequently published The Archaeology of Knowledge (1969). In 1970, Foucault was admitted to the Collège de France, a membership he retained until his death. He also became active in several left-wing groups involved in campaigns against racism and human rights abuses and for penal reform. Foucault later published Discipline and Punish (1975) and The History of Sexuality (1976), in which he developed archaeological and genealogical methods that emphasized the role that power plays in society.
Foucault died in Paris from complications of HIV/AIDS; he became the first public figure in France to die from complications of the disease. His partner Daniel Defert founded the AIDES charity in his memory.
Born in Poitiers, France, into an upper-middle-class family, Foucault was educated at the Lycée Henri-IV, at the École Normale Supérieure, where he developed an interest in philosophy and came under the influence of his tutors Jean Hyppolite and Louis Althusser, and at the University of Paris (Sorbonne), where he earned degrees in philosophy and psychology. After several years as a cultural diplomat abroad, he returned to France and published his first major book, The History of Madness (1961). After obtaining work between 1960 and 1966 at the University of Clermont-Ferrand, he produced The Birth of the Clinic (1963) and The Order of Things (1966), publications that displayed his increasing involvement with structuralism, from which he later distanced himself. These first three histories exemplified a historiographical technique Foucault was developing called "archaeology".
From 1966 to 1968, Foucault lectured at the University of Tunis before returning to France, where he became head of the philosophy department at the new experimental university of Paris VIII. Foucault subsequently published The Archaeology of Knowledge (1969). In 1970, Foucault was admitted to the Collège de France, a membership he retained until his death. He also became active in several left-wing groups involved in campaigns against racism and human rights abuses and for penal reform. Foucault later published Discipline and Punish (1975) and The History of Sexuality (1976), in which he developed archaeological and genealogical methods that emphasized the role that power plays in society.
Foucault died in Paris from complications of HIV/AIDS; he became the first public figure in France to die from complications of the disease. His partner Daniel Defert founded the AIDES charity in his memory.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 24, 2020
I guess this is really important for Foucault's development, or maybe there's a much larger audience for explication of early Christian theories of baptism than I had suspected, but this is wildly over-rated here on Goodreads. The basic idea remains compelling: when did 'truth' become what we think of as 'truth'? But I'd skip this unless you're writing a dissertation on him, which I, for the record, am not.
September 25, 2022
“The Christian has the deep truth within himself and he is yoked to this deep secret, indefinitely bent over to it and indefinitely constrained to show the other the treasure that his work, thought, attention, conscience, and discourse ceaselessly draw it from it” (p. 313).
December 30, 2017
‘In any case, there is a kinship between being and the soul and the truth is nothing other than the manifestation of the soul’s kinship with being.’ p. 144
‘We find in Saint Paul (...): “it is by the law that we know sin.” Should this not be understood in the following way: it is the law, the very existence of a law dividing good and evil, that reveals sin?’ p. 183
‘Ancient supplication operates as the transfer of obligation through the manifestation of misfortune.’ p. 213
‘(...) that even in these most holy figures, even in those closest tot the truth there was a blind spot (...). They are unable to know exactly what they must do, for they do not really know what they can do and they do not really know what they can do because basically they do not know what they are.’ p. 294
‘It is not the value of things that one must recognize, it is the secrets of conscience that must be deciphered.’ p. 297
In Christian examination (...). What is in question is not the truth of my idea; it is the truth of myself who has an idea. It is not the question of truth of what I think, but the question of the truth of I who thinks.’ p. 303
‘(...) one no longer needs to be king, to have killed one’s father, married one’s mother, and ruled over the plague to be forced to discover the truth of oneself. It is enough to be anyone.’ p. 311
‘If you are obliged to tell the truth it is because, without knowing it, despite everything, there’s a bit of Oedipus in you too.’ p. 312
‘We find in Saint Paul (...): “it is by the law that we know sin.” Should this not be understood in the following way: it is the law, the very existence of a law dividing good and evil, that reveals sin?’ p. 183
‘Ancient supplication operates as the transfer of obligation through the manifestation of misfortune.’ p. 213
‘(...) that even in these most holy figures, even in those closest tot the truth there was a blind spot (...). They are unable to know exactly what they must do, for they do not really know what they can do and they do not really know what they can do because basically they do not know what they are.’ p. 294
‘It is not the value of things that one must recognize, it is the secrets of conscience that must be deciphered.’ p. 297
In Christian examination (...). What is in question is not the truth of my idea; it is the truth of myself who has an idea. It is not the question of truth of what I think, but the question of the truth of I who thinks.’ p. 303
‘(...) one no longer needs to be king, to have killed one’s father, married one’s mother, and ruled over the plague to be forced to discover the truth of oneself. It is enough to be anyone.’ p. 311
‘If you are obliged to tell the truth it is because, without knowing it, despite everything, there’s a bit of Oedipus in you too.’ p. 312
September 2, 2025
És massa és massa. Sempre amb Foucault es redescobreix, es reafirma, que cada element que contemplen, que cada acció que duem a terme té una rel històrica, que res en la raó és natural sinó històrica i socialment produït. I que aquesta història és sempre una lluita de voluntats, el desig de les voluntats de dominar, d'imposar, en aquest cas l'estructura dogma-confessió cristiana com a dispositiu de subjecció del subjectum, obligat als actes de fe, obligat a l'exploració de si i a l'enunciació de la seva veritat. Molt bo.
January 13, 2025
Como suele ocurrir con los seminarios y textos de Foucault que se enfocan más en el polo "saber" del poder-saber, no es lo que más me interesa. Aún así, es muy preciso, más lineal que otros seminarios, y contiene algunas reflexiones muy interesantes sobre la diferencia entre el enfoque foucaltiano y el marxista.
October 13, 2020
This lecture series is particularly great if you are interested in Foucault's examination of selfhood with regards to early Christian and ancient Greek philosophy. This is a great complementary text to his Ethics: Subjectivity and Truth.
December 7, 2023
Foucault demuestra nuevamente el poder de realizar construcciones de Estado desde una óptica social... El gobierno de los vivos es un libro que no puede faltar en la librería
February 3, 2025
toujours absolument pertinent (+ blablateur de détails)
aveu + examen + régime (de vérité) + subjectivation + pénitence + direction (volonté) etc.
aveu + examen + régime (de vérité) + subjectivation + pénitence + direction (volonté) etc.
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March 28, 2025Lo disfruté un montón! Entré por la lectura que hizo del Edipo Rey salí pensando en el neoliberalismo... Así es la vida
January 10, 2026
one star removed just to diss myself
January 21, 2017
Following the lectures on bio politics and the rise of neoliberalism in 1978-1979, Foucault turned his attention to the development of Christian subjectivation. These lectures begin with a Greece and Rome and a detailed explication of Sophocles' Oedipus. It then shifts to early Christianity, the conventions of baptism, penitence, asceticism, and monasticism. Foucault traces these early innovations to the more full-blown desire for self-surveillance and confession.
November 30, 2016
Pretty good. Not on the level of "Discipline And Punish," but still fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews