Michel Foucault Panopticism Essay

Panopticism, a social theory based on Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon and developed by Michel
Foucault describes a disciplinary mechanism used in various aspects of society. Foucault's Discipline
and Punish discusses the development of discipline in Western society, looks in particularly at
Bentham's Panopticon and how it is a working example of how the theory is employed effectively.
Foucault explains, in Discipline and Punish that 'this book is intended as a correlative history of the
modern soul and of a new power to judge' (Foucault, 1977) and opens with accounts of public
execution and torture revealing how law and order is created because of the shift from these to prison
rules and discipline. Foucault describes the quarantining and...show more content...
In this way, 'the surveillance is permanent in its effects, even if it is discontinuous in its action'
(Foucault, 1977, p201) meaning that the individual is internalised with a conscious state that he is
always being watched, and so no guards are needed as self regulation is achieved, this was best
described by Foucault when he defined 'the major effect of the Panopticon; to induce in the inmate a
state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power'
(Foucault, 1975). Supporting one of the key panoptic principles that 'visibility is a trap' (Foucault,
1977, p200). Foucault goes on to explain that 'its strength is that it never intervenes' (Foucault, 1977,
p206), as 'it constitutes a mechanism whose effects follow from one another', (Foucault, 1977,
p206), there is the possibility that one could intervene at any given moment, but this is never
necessary due to internalisation of a state of awareness. The inhabitants of the cells become 'Docile
Bodies' (Foucault, 1977, p135), something which he describes in full; explaining that it is achieved
through mental, rather than physical discipline, the type of discipline which is created within the
Panopticon, but could be seen earlier, as Foucault describes, in the training of soldiers, or monks.
These 'Docile
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Comparing Foucault And Panopticism
Panopticism is a social theory named after the Panopticon, according to Foucault, his describes a
watch tower in a prison and he thinks Panopticism is how people act different when they're being
watched. Rayner perspective on Panopticism is how we can use social media to our advantage. In
this essay, I will analyze both Foucault and Rayner perspective on Panopticism and will determine
the rhetorical appeals of both writings. This is an example of ethos because "Generally speaking, it
might be said that discipline are techniques for assuring the ordering of human multiplicities. It is
true that there is nothing exceptional or even characteristics in this: every system or power or
presented with the same problem" (Foucault, 2012, p. 207). Foucault is one of the most prominent
philosopher of the 20th century. He had a strong influence in philosophy, but also in a wide range
of humanistic and social scientific disciplines. Foucault was the philosopher who created the term,
"Panopticism". This is an example of Logos because, "In this task of adjustment, discipline had to
solve a number of problems for which the old economy of power was not sufficiently equipped. It
could reduce the inefficiency of mass phenomena: reduce what, in a multiplicity, make it much less
manageable than unity...." (Foucault, 2012, p. 208). He talks about the watch tower in a prison and
they noticed when people are being watched from the watchtower, people change their behavior.
Foucault believes

Panopticon Essay
The author of the essay "Panopticism", Michel Foucault gives his opinion on power and discipline
in Panopticism. He describes Jeremy Bentham's "Panopticon", a tower in the centre of a room
which has vision to every cell, generalized for prisoners. In simple words, it functioned in
maintaining discipline throughout the jail. It's most distinctive feature was that; prisoners could be
seen without ever seeing. Prisoners would never really know when they are watched and when not.
They are always under the impression that someone is keeping an eye on them continuously and if
anything goes wrong, or they make mistake, they would be punished severely. Since, a prisoner
would never know when he/she is watched, they have to be at their best. In a...show more content...
I can relate this to myself. I go to Harbor Point Gym. It is fairly huge with ample of machines and
cardio equipments. There is another room for people who wants to practice yoga and meditate.
While working out at the gym, I am always guarded about myself being watched by other people,
peers passing by the gym, cameras at the gym etc. it's a human tendency and people really do look
and analyze people. There's always a thought running at the back of my mind what if other people
saw me or made fun of me. This thought makes me behave in a right, well–mannered way. Nobody
forced me to behave in a certain way but it was that creepy thought of myself being mocked. I did
not just behaved well but also pushed myself a little extra. Also, there are treadmills kept closer to
one another. This in turn makes one conscious about their selves. This helps me relate to the idea of
Foucault's Panopticon where he describes "Visibility as a trap"(). What he means by this is, being
visible at times is also a trap. You can be caught anytime if you are doing something incorrect. In
my example of a treadmill, another person also using the treadmill watches you. You are constantly
conscious and try to look what the other person is up to and try to compete him/her. This generates
a competitive spirit and thus, people push themselves in order to prove their selves. It not only
enhances your body but also aids in developing self–confidence.

Michel Foucault Panopticism
"Panopticism is a social theory named after the Panopticon, originally developed by French
philosopher Michel Foucault. The "panopticon" refers to an experimental laboratory of power in
which behaviour could be modified, and Foucault viewed the panopticon as a symbol of the
disciplinary society of surveillance." (Foucault pg. 1) Even though panopticism was created in the
1950's, we still use it in modern day society. It has been modernized into using security cameras,
religion, etc.... Most security cameras are just for show and not to actually record you or they are
on and operating, but rarely anyone is watching. With these in place, people will self regulate their
behavior so they will not get caught. Security cameras have been used as a

Michele Foucault's Essay 'Panopticism'
In Michele Foucault's essay "Panopticism," the contingent difficulties of the text seem to be this
rhetoric's most evident challenge; lots of languages littered throughout the piece that would not be
primarily seen in typical conversation. When going through the piece, I often found myself needing
to take brief hiatuses while reading when discovering a foreign word and either looking at possible
context clues of these unfamiliar words or occasionally looking up their definitions on the internet to
ensure understanding of the text. The text opens with descriptions of the preventive procedures
carried out in attempts to quarantine people that contracted the seventeenth–century plague
epidemic. Such as, mass confinement of those afflicted...show more content...
For example, modern days schools are often institutions that behave in a nearly identical manner to
panoptic principles previously mentioned, particularly in the grade school level. These schools intact
unwavering rules and mandates for a student to follow to do well academically and behaviorally.
Consequently, as a student gets older, there is a gradual progression of freedom due to the
assumption that an older student will behave and act in a more school appropriate way when
compared to a student that is younger. However, even at the high school level, their is still evident
attempts at controlling in classrooms and administrative levels. Where the teacher can essentially be
the dictator in the classroom with no acceptation to any other way of doing things beyond the way
they teach their students. Likewise, the school administration also executes totalitarian like the rule
on students, other administrators, and teachers. All this rigid structure and rule are for the purpose
of controlling the students and other non–high ranking positions, these groups of people are the
inmates in panoptic prisons. Classrooms are the cells at which a student is bound to for a
predetermined amount of time if they leave early without official reasons for there release negative
repercussions arise. The teacher

Panopticism Essay
In his essay "Panopticism," Michel Foucault introduces the Panopticon structure as proof of modern
society tending toward efficient disciplinary mechanisms. Starting with his example of the strict,
intensely organized measures that are taken in a typical 17th–century plague–stricken town,
Foucault describes how the town employed constant surveillance techniques, centralized a hierarchy
of authorities to survey households, partitioned individual structures to impose certain behavior, and
record current information about each individual.
As society has progressed, Foucault explains, these practices have expanded into other institutions
such as hospitals, schools, prisons and asylums. Bentham's Panopticon embodies such disciplinary
...show more content...
"The Panopticon functions as a kind of laboratory of power," Foucault declares; indeed, much
knowledge can be ascertained by "penetra[ting] into men's behavior" (379).
Foucault introduces the modern police force as an example of Panopticism. He explains that the
development of a more centralized police force in the late eighteenth century stemmed from the
need of sovereigns to maintain a sort of surveillance over all miniature details. With a mobilized,
invisible force stretched from even the most "extreme limits", it becomes possible to extend constant
supervision "to reach the most elementary particle" (Foucault 386). The organization of the police
became the vehicle in which political power could keep a "permanent, exhaustive, omnipresent"
gaze on the entire population; a regular Panopticon for the city. Beyond duties of surveillance, the
police would also pursue and punish criminals, plotters, and opposition movements as a way to
demonstrate the consequences of bad conduct; fear would then keep the population as pure as
possible and "accustomed ... to order and obedience" (Foucault 387).
As Foucault remarked, many disciplinary mechanisms and practices are still kept alive in today's
modern institutions. The Patriot Act is one example; one highly controversial provision of the act
allows the FBI to acquire personal records (such as email, documents, library records) for the
purposes of gathering

Michel Foucault And The Panopticon
I am actually very familiar with Michel Foucault, and most criminology students are familiar with
his idea (from Jeremy Bentham) of the panopticon and it will come up time and again. The
information I already knew of was all reestablished in reading through this chapter, "Panopticism",
from Discipline and Punish. I knew that the panopticon was the idea of a tower in a prison where a
guard could look and see every prisoner. However, the prisoners do not always know when there
are guards are in the prison, so they will alter their behaviour even if they believe that they are
being watched. It all concerns surveillance curving and controlling human behaviour. There are two
key principles with the panopticon: the visibility of power (the guard tower where everyone can
see that power exists), and unverifiable power (one is not sure when one is being watched).
Importantly, "the Panopticon must not be understood as a dream building: it is the diagram of a
mechanism of power reduced to its ideal form" (Foucault, 1975, p. 511). Ultimately, in Foucault's
panopticon, disciplinary power is executed through surveillance and knowledge. Although I have
decent foundational knowledge on the panopticon, I still learned from this reading. I was
particularly fascinated with the proposition that the panopticon may have been inspired by Le Vaux's
menagerie at Versailles. Foucault explains, "the Panopticon is a royal menagerie; the animal is
replaced by man, individual distribution by specific

Michel Foucault's Panopticism Essay
Within his essay titled "Panopticism," Michel Foucault discusses uses of power and discipline
throughout different times in history. During the Plague era, people were forced to follow
cautionary measures created by the government. In the 19th century, prisoners were molded into
model citizens through no human contact and the fear of current observation. Finally, in present day,
the tactics used within prisons can also be seen within schools, hospitals and factories. When these
ideas are connected to the lives of elite Crossfit athletes, they can show that having a sense of
self–discipline is beneficial. Mat Fraser, Katrin Davidsdottir and Annie Thorisdottir are three
Crossfit athletes who show extreme levels of self–discipline and they are...show more content...
"I'm not trying to squat 800 pounds. I'm trying to run a five–minute mile and squat 500 pounds"
(Austin). Having this incredible mindset is not an easy feat, it takes an amount of self–discipline that
many do not have. The time where Mat's extreme self–discipline was most prevalent was when he
was unable to take the title of fittest man on earth in 2015. As many say, "second is the first to
lose," and Mat takes this statement to heart. Between 2015 and 2016 was where Mat worked until
he had no weaknesses. The discipline that he showed is why he earned the title of fittest man on
earth in 2016. This self–discipline was extremely beneficial to Mat and it could have also been
beneficial to the European population during the Plague era. During this time, the government was
forced to surveil people in an attempt to keep the plague concentrated to only a small group of
individuals. "At each of the town gates there will be an observation post; at the end of the street
sentinels" (Foucault 282). These tactics were harsh, but it did save many from an unpleasant death.
However, if the people during this time had had a sense of self–discipline, like Mat, they would have
taken these necessary precautions and the government would not

Michael Foucault Panopticism
Panopticism is a social theory created by French philosopher Michael Foucault. Foucault starts off by
describing the actions took when the plague broke out in the seventeen century. People had to leave
their homes and belongings because they started a quarantine process. The plague is used as an
example to say where the idea of discipline came from. All new types of techniques and defense
mechanisms were created. Foucault then starts to talk about prisons and the prisoners inside of
them. Foucault pretty much says that each individual can be seen, but can't communicate with
anyone. The panopticon is a prison with a big watch tower in the middle. It was built like this so the
prisoners can be efficiently watched and guarded. The prisoners every move was watched and
monitored. This was another way of punishment because they weren't being punished physically, but
mentally. The prisoner's minds were being controlled, instead of their bodies. Foucault believes that
modern society is the same way as the prison was run, maybe not to the same extreme, though.
Everything is run by the state like for example, schools, hospitals, police stations, jobs, and many
more. Foucault believes we can't escape the social norms. We...show more content...
I don't agree with when he says that we are "prisoners in our own bodies" because I believe we
have so much freedoms in this country. I do understand we our controlled by the state and
government, but it's not like we can't do anything. Also, I agree with the fact that schools,
hospitals, and prisons are alike in ways of not looks, but the way they classify us as an individual.
This idea is very interesting and complex because either side cam have a strong argument on how
either is wrong. I believe he is right because everything may be hard to believe because of how
scary the truth is. Reading this essay starts to get you thinking, "Am I really

Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault Essay
Stability in terms of society can be defined as the state in which power is clear and defined, and
the constituents abide to those in power. In modern day institutions, a certain amount of stability
must exist or people would lack the motivation to get work done and would not respond to
authority. To ensure motivation, employers will install cameras, or use other techniques to always
keep an eye on their workers. If people are doing nothing wrong, there is no reason to have a
problem with being watched. For this reason, it is not surprising that employers set their work
station similar to a Panopticon, an institutional building that is step up with someone in the middle
watching everyone, but the workers don't know if they are being...show more content...
A select group of people, called syndics, would lock the doors from the outside, and make sure
everyone was accounted for. However, despite the rigidness of all these measures, they maintained
stability and prevented the spread of the disease, and these measures came from the fear of the
authorities. The fear of the authorities comes from by the fear of the plague. In this society, the
mechanisms against the plague is what created discipline. This is a classic example of how a
Panopticon can benefit society; when something needs to be accomplished, a Panopticon can force
people into doing whatever needs to get done. In this example, the Panopticon forces people to obey
the rules of the village because they are afraid of catching the plague. While this is not a traditional
Panopticon institution, society decided that having the plague was abnormal, and it would do what it
took for society to become normal. In this story, power comes from the fear of the disease. All
modern institutions, such as prisons, workplaces and schools, supervise people using mechanisms
that derive from the ones used in this story. In "Panopticism", Foucalt describes the architecture of a
Panopticon, and how it makes it so unique and efficient. A person in the middle is watching at all
times, yet the people can never know if they are being watched or not. Also, the prisoners cannot
communicate with one another, which prevents the threat

Discipline And Punish: Panopticism
Panopticism is a social theory developed by Michel Foucault; in Discipline and Punish, Foucault
suggests that people self–regulate their behavior because they feel they are constantly being
watched, making direct supervision unnecessary. Institutions in society such as schools, prisons,
factories, and hospitals rely on the ability to observe individuals associated with such places.
Panopticism is widely used to monitor and control people. In "Antlers" by Rick Bass, the characters'
constant awareness of society attitudes influences them to question what they think,say, or do.
People can come see the valley whenever they like, demonstrating how the valley operates as a
panopticon institution: " In fact, any panopticon institution, ... my...show more content...
In "Antlers", hunting is widely practiced; however, the residents are aware of the stigma surrounding
hunting, driving them to justify their actions. The narrator's words in the following quotes
demonstrate this: " She understands everyone hunts here, men and women alike. She knows we love
animals, but for one or two months out of the year, we also love to hunt them" (113, "Antlers").
Although hunting is an important aspect of life for most of the residents in the valley, because it is
frowned upon, the residents experience discomfort concerning their hobby, demonstrating how
although the valley is isolated, they are unable to escape society's surveillance. The residents feel
that hunting is an enjoyable pastime; however, they are aware of society's negative attitude toward
it, feeling guilty for hunting animals, ultimately trying to justify their actions to soothe their

Panopticism In Prisons
Michel Foucault, a famous philosopher, argued and defined 'panopticism' as this idea that being
watched had a more successful impact on the actions one would perform. However, panoptic
methods usually involved architectural structures, such as watchtowers (Allen) that create a sense of
being watched. This method of monitoring, according to Foucault, was popular and most effective in
prisons (193).

Foucault's Panopticism
Michel Foucault and his passage "Panopticism" in his work Discipline and Punish expands upon the
original ideas of Jeremy Bentham and the Panopticon: a system of surveillance utilized on a group
of individuals for which there may be many motives. Foucault relates the Panopticon to other
particular systems within the societal wheel and clarifies upon its power to not only individualize a
person within pre–meditated constraints, but also to observe, collect, modify, and impose, among a
vast amount of other possibilities, in order to yield untampered results (Foucault 200–202). He
builds up the solidity of what he refers to as "the mechanism" in the objectified "tower" through
which all power of the Panopticon lies; the location where the observer...show more content...
Cyberbullying pertains to electronic forms of degrading and hurting a person, and James is able
to utilize this to his advantage in tragically tearing Taylor apart. She went from being an extremely
happy and outgoing girl to a shell moving through the days trying to recover from the incidents
causing her to lose all of her friends but one, and the ruining of her life. The transition the Taylor
undergoes during this time is drastic, but has an interesting finality to it in that once she does
discover who is responsible for causing her all of the pain, she has destroyed the Panopticon. As
soon as the head individual of the project is discerned, the subjected people break free of these
invisible chains that bind them to their constant surveillance (Foucault 200–202). Taylor herself
discovers who this James that is tormenting and abusing her truly is not long after she recovers from
the hospital and both her and her mother begin their search for the culprit. In finding out who is
mal–treating her so badly, she witnesses that not even everything which is seen can be viewed for
what the truth really is: Her closest friend Samantha is the "James" behind the ordeal all along. This
torture method of consistent and constant humiliation among peers is, in essence, associated with
Foucault's analysis of the Panopticon's utilizations for such methods among similar individuals;
however, it also has a way of easily disguising the truth of the situation, which can be, with
Cyberbully at least, even more

In Michel Foucault's essay, Panopticism, the effects of making a person visible and isolated are
explained. Before Foucault addresses his theory, Panopticism, he first explains Jeremy Bentham's
architectural structure, the Panopticon. Foucault explains the Panopticon structure is "at the
periphery, an annular building; at the center, a tower" (184). Essentially, this means that there is a
larger tower in the center, which is completed surrounded by individual cells. These cells have both
a window facing the tower and one facing away; this allows light to shine through the windows
making the prisoner completely visible. Combined with making a prisoner visible, some type of
superior must be in the tower periodically to ensure the feeling of...show more content...
In conjunction self–policing, the panoptic structure and Panopticism are useful for "drawing up
differences" between people (190). Due to the fact that each of the prisoners are enclosed in their
own isolated cell, their different tempers, aptitudes, and several other personality traits can be
analyzed without the fear of imitation from viewing other inmates behaving differently. I will be
utilizing Foucault's theory of Panopticism to analyze my experiences in a nursing home that has the
same structural design as panoptic structure. The nursing home that I am reflecting my experience
from resembles a panoptic structure because there is a central nurse's station surrounded by
individual resident rooms and a common gathering space. The nurse's station and the necessary staff
rooms are at the center of the unit, similar to the central tower. This is the command center for
information about the resident's behavior and any change in their medical or temperamental status.
Ultimately, this is where the power source is situated. Conversely, this makes the resident's rooms
similar to cells and the residents inside, comparable to prisoners. In each resident room there is
almost everything the resident would need such as a bathroom, clothes, and various personal items.
Like a prisoner in the panoptic structure mentioned earlier, the

Explain The Panopticon By Michel Foucault
According to Michel Foucault, power is knowledge and knowledge is power. He also believed that
as individuals, everyone will react to situations in different ways. Foucault said that power "reaches
into the very grain of individuals, touches their bodies and inserts itself into their actions and
attitudes, their discourses, learning processes and everyday lives."1 Foucault believed that knowledge
is always a form of power, but he took it a step further and told us that knowledge can be gained
from power. Through observation, new knowledge is produced. Foucault presents these thoughts in
the following manner.
"Knowledge linked to power, not only assumes the authority of 'the truth' but has the power to make
itself true. All knowledge, once applied...show more content...
This building allowed the guard, who was usually located in the center tower, to monitor every
prisoner while no prisoner could see the guard. This created an illusion of being monitored even
when the guard was not looking at a particular inmate. This constant observation acted as a control
mechanism; a consciousness of constant surveillance is internalized. According to us, the
documentation of Sijil was similar to a Panopticon prison. It gave the Ottoman state, an ability to
constantly monitor every subject by recording them into Sijils. The documentation of its subjects
and the territorialisation of Sharia law can be considered as the process of govenrmentality (2nd
point above) in Ottoman empire. By documenting the different parameters of its subject, the state
always knew how, what and when to exercise its power. This 'How–What–When' represents the
knowledge which is required to yield power and power again gives them the ability to further
observe them and these new observations lead to new knowledge and news ways of exercising
power. Thus it becomes a vicious

Michel Foucault's Panopticon
In "Discipline and Punish" of Michel Foucault, the author mentions the Panopticon in order to make
the world better by partitioning and controlling each small group or individual, force them to behave
morally. This concept turns out to be one of the most popular theory which is represent in The
Hunger Games – a famous novel of Suzanne Collins, through how the Capitol televises and directs
all 12 Districts as a whole and the tributes in arena during the Hunger Games. Panopticon, or social
media in the modern society, is also emphasizing its isolating power to the youth at the present.
Beginning with the description of how measures was taken to fight against the plague in the
seventeenth century, Foucault then discusses about Jeremy Bentham's...show more content...
While Katniss wishes that she was not recorded so she could be herself, the teenagers today feels
like they are ignored without other people get involve in their own lives. Why do they have such
those feelings? Panopticism might be the best answer. Remember that in those structure, each
individual can be seen but cannot communicate with others. Same thing happens to the youth when
they do not feel connected to the surroundings. The youth always say they are lonely and they do
not have people who they can count on or have close relationship with. So they publish themselves
to get noticed, to be known, to be cared, to be talked about. They also seek affection by simply or
secretly getting any semblance of relationship they can find, such as friend on Facebook who they
have never met or any video of celebrities on YouTube (Simmerman

Michael Foucaults Panopticism
Society: Comparison to the Panopticon According to Wikepedia, a panopticon is a type of prison
where the observer is able to watch the prisoners without the prisoner knowing when they are being
watched. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe (–opticon) all (pan–) prisoners
thereby conveying what one architect has called the "sentiment of an invisible omnisciece. The
panopticon was invented by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1785. Bentham himself
described the Panopticon as "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind, in a quantity
hitherto without example." Michel Foucault, a French philosopher and historian of ideas uses this
term in his book Discipline and Punish the Birth of the Prison as a metaphor...show more content...
When we do something out of the norm, we are then frowned upon at as some type of threat to
society. An example of this given is from the book Tess of the Durbyvilles, the character Tess is
living in a panopticon because her society is based in a time where she is suppose to have a
husband, but her society gossips about her because she has a baby out of wedlock. People looked
at her as abnormal because she did not follow the moral structure they are used to. No one
bothered to ask any questions they only assumed she was different which is something they did
not like. This panopticon serves a good purpose even though it focuses soley on discipline and
power. Although we are being watched everyday, if we did not have discipline then our society
would not function well, and we would be among murders, thieves, and would fear for our lives.
We are among criminals now but because we have institutions to tame them and force them to be
a part of society or if they choose not to be then they are kept away from the perfect society we are
constantly trying to form and improve. Although we are under power of the panopticon, we are
given a sense of protection within our society and therefore we are willing to accept the control we
are

Essay on Foucault Panopticism
Panopticism by Michel Focault
Works Cited Not Included
"Our society is not one of spectacle, but of surveillance; under the surface of images, one invests
bodies in depth; behind the great abstraction of exchange, there continues the meticulous concrete
training of useful forces; the circuits of communication are the supports of an accumulation and a
centralization of knowledge; the play of signs defines the anchorages of power; it is not that the
beautiful totality of the individual is amputated, repressed, altered by our social order, it is rather
that the individual is carefully fabricated in it, according to a whole technique of forces and bodies.
(pp.333–34)"
In the essay, Panopticism, by Michel Focault, he makes the argument...show more content...
The persons with the plague (lepers were included in this group) were always observed to
account for their presence. These people were supposed to be present at their windows for
attendance. Where they not present at the time, they were marked as dead. Their family would be
removed, the house would be cleaned out, perfumed, and then, a mere four hours later, people
would move back in. Obviously, the fear of not being observed would be strong in this situation, a
direct result of the drastic measures taken once someone's presence could not be observed. Though
this fear has the opposite motivation of the healthy citizens, who, knowing they are being watched,
are afraid to do wrong, it works on the same basic principle. That if one knows they are being
watched, it remains a constant consideration in their mind, regardless of the presence of an
observer, the fear will always be present.
The Panopticon, a prison described by Foucault, "is a machine for dissociating the see/being seen
dyad: in the peripheric ring, one is totally seen, without ever seeing" (321, Foucault). This literally
means that in the formation of the panopticon those who are being seen can not see one another
and the one who sees everything can never be seen. That is the most important tool of the
panopticon. Foucault makes this assumption about today's society by saying that we are always
being watched whether we know it or not. One always keeps an eye over their shoulder as a

Michael Foucault Panopticism
Every function has its own system of organization that, maybe for the time being, works for that
system. On a micro level, work is done, knowledge may be learned, and care may be provided.
However, eventually that system can be overturned. If there is not an exact power system that
establishes order within a function, it will not work. Panopticism, by Michael Foucault, shows the
perfect power system that creates efficiency and self–discipline where as Bartleby, by Herman
Melville, shows a system of chaos. If the Panopticon power system was installed into the office in
Bartleby, then there would be no rebellion from the employees and more productivity, demonstrating
the importance of the system to keep order in society. Within Panopticism,...show more content...
In this system, the established authority is able to use discipline as a mechanism. Discipline is
necessary in every function, from the army to the school system. It is able to "increase the skill
of each individual" and "coordinate these skills" while "enforcing respect for the regulations and
authorities... preventing thefts or losses" and increase "output and therefore profit" (Foucault
356). The system is able to train the people within to have respect for the head figure and do what
is expected. There is no rebellion and the system works. Discipline is able to fix, it "clears up
confusion," and allows for the "production of knowledge and skills" (Foucault 362). When one is
disciplined, they understand what can and cannot be done, and are able to follow these
guidelines to reach new limits. They create new functions from new knowledge, resulting in an
increased need for more leaders and power. The "formation of knowledge and the increase of power
regularly reinforce one in a circular process" in order to cross thresholds and improve society
(Foucault 366). The system of discipline is able to inspire and create to reach new levels.
However, in Bartleby, there is no improvements or new findings because of the lack of discipline.
Turkey, Nippers, and Bartleby all have their own methods of working and do

Foucault Panopticism
about that person (past and present); things that eventually you can use to control, alter, mould, and
even penalize with. This is what Foucault meant when he stated that "using techniques of subjection
and methods of exploitation, an obscure art of light and the invisible was secretly preparing a new
knowledge of man" (Foucault 1984, 189). Today, Foucault's theory ofsurveillance is still very much
in practice especially with the law enforcement agencies such as the police department, the Federal
Bureau Institution, and the Central Intelligence Agency.
Apart from sovereign power as discussed above, Foucault also believed that the educational system
was simply another tool through which humans were monitored, and this was made possible through
...show more content...
In his view, the very architecture of school buildings, hospitals, prisons, and state buildings were
designed to depict power (Foucault 1984, 190). To Foucault, power employed the "mechanism of
panopticism" to observe and control (Foucault 1984, 206). The idea of panopticism here is being
used to denote a system where institutions use open spaces as a means of exercising power. For
example, Foucault saw great similarities in the spatial design of the military camp and high schools,
hospitals, and prisons. In Foucault's words, "this infinitely scrupulous concern with surveillance is
expressed in the architecture by innumerable petty mechanisms" (Foucault 1984, 191). These
'mechanisms' Foucault refers to here include the unending tests, documentation and paper work that
is carried out on students, patients, and military personnel, and it was through this that conclusions
were made on whether a person conformed to societal expectations or not. Furthermore,
conclusions can then be made on a person's mental state, guilt, educational level, military
competence, and so on. This led Foucault to ask if "the disciplines have now become the new law
of modern society"? (Foucault 1984, 196). It is important to mention here that although Foucault
viewed knowledge as controlling and stifling, he also saw it as productive and useful, and thus he
insists that "we must cease once and for all to describe the effects of power in negative terms: it
"excludes", it "represses", it "censors", it "abstracts", it "masks", it "conceals". In fact, power
produces reality, domains of objects, and rituals of truth" (Foucault 1984, 204–205). What this means
is that although power can be used as a tool by institutions as discussed above, it can also be used
by individuals to

Michel Foucault Panopticism Essay

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Michel Foucault Panopticism Essay