![]() When people speak of “the Enlightenment” they are talking about a period in European history roughly encompassed by the “long 18th century” (1685-1815) wherein the primacy of human reason, and its capacity to effect change were key philosophical and political beliefs. But it is clear that Foucault is more keen to raise awareness of the hidden power structures and the insidious state control of the individual that support our modern society than to praise our collective progress out of the perceived “dark ages”. As will be seen, there are potential benefits, such as individualised support and the potential for self-improvement within these systems. This is not to say that the fruits of the enlightenment project are without merit for Foucault. This historical/sociological study is not a simplistic narrative of humanity’s progress from barbarism to a civilised society, but an interrogation of enlightenment values and the problems inherent in the type of society they engender. ![]() Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish charts the trajectory of penal justice from pre-enlightenment forms of torture and public execution to the birth of the modern prison. ![]()
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