Michel Foucault was a well-known French philosopher who developed an ethics of pleasure which prompts care for self in the form of self-mastery, practices of abstinence, self-examination, and self-reflection. His existential philosophy was within the boundaries of Marxist thought.  Foucault examined a wide range of topics, both “genealogically” and “archaeologically”, which included the history of sexuality, the insane asylum, the penitentiary, and the hospital.  Foucault wrote several books pertaining to sexuality and religion as well as others focusing on modern thought which concentrated on his major philosophical aim- the liberation of man from constraints. The body has become a preoccupation among postmodern theorists following Foucault. This evident in the use of Foucault's ideas to understand ethics and the fragmented body and the body as an "object" of historical knowledge.  Michel Foucault died in 1984, but his words, works, and wisdom continue to thrive.

1.) Power Knowledge and the Body  (http://www.csun.edu/~hfspc002/foucB3.html#power)
This page describes how the body subject is the only way to acquire knowledge

2.) What is Enlightenment ?  (http://www.knuten.liu.se/~bjoch509/works/foucault/enlight.txt)
This page answers questions such as what are we, what do think, and what do we do today and how it is related to enlightenment.

3.) Foucault Biography  (http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=micro/216/45.html)
This is a biography about Foucault, his life and his works.

4.) Michel Foucault  (http://www.connect.net/ron/foucault.html)
This page is another biography about Foucault that goes into greater depth about his books and his philosophical aims and ways of thinking.

5.) Excerpts from "Eye of Power"  (http://burn.ucsd.edu/~nicolef/imprint/53-foucault.html)
This page consists of excerpts from an interview with Foucault about the "Eye of Power" with attention on the medical gaze and the Panopticon

6.)  Overview of Foucault's Archaeology  (http://prometheus.frii.com/~brett/foucault.html)
This page is an overview of Foucaults' archaeology which identifies and elaborate son the central thesis of his early works about the self-regulating system.

7.)  Foucault  (http://encarta.msn.com/index/conciseindex/6D/06D59000.htm)
This is an encyclopedia article about Foucault.

8.)  The Final Foucault and his Ethics  (http://www2.uchicago.edu/jnl-crit-inq/foucault/foucault.veyne2.html)
This page contains excerpts from "The Final Foucault and his Ethics" and attention is given to the goals of philosophy.

9.)  Foucault  (http://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/theory/foucault.htm)
This page is a discussion about the discourse, social construction, of the Panopticon and power.

10.)  Postmodernism and Postmodernists  (http://www.alphalink.com.au/~pashton/essays/postmodernism.htm)
This page is a collection of essays by and related to Foucault including enlightenment and technologies of the self.

11.)  Infotrac   (http://www.searchbank.com/searchbank/viva_wm)
This is a link to Infotrac databases.  In the Expanded Academic database, by entering the keyword search "Foucault and (body or sport or health or athletics)", this system will draw up at least 40 articles pertaining to Foucault sport philosophy.
 

Return to class readings page:  Kinesiology 493: Philosophy of Kinesiology