Panopticism

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Foucault once stated, “Our society is one not of spectacle, but of surveillance; under the surface of images, one invests” (301). By this, he means that our society is full of constant supervision that is not easily seen nor displayed. In his essay, Panopticism, Foucault goes into detail about the different disciplinary societies and how surveillance has become a big part of our lives today. He explains how the disciplinary mechanisms have dramatically changed in comparison to the middle ages. Foucault analyzes in particular the Panopticon, which was a blueprint of a disciplinary institution. The idea of this institution was for inmates to be seen but not to see. As Foucault put it, “he is the object of information, never a subject in communication”(287). The Panopticon became an evolutionary method for enforcing discipline. Today there are different ways of watching people with constant surveillance and complete control without anyone knowing similar to the idea of the Panopticon.
Foucault begins the concepts of surveillance by describing the procedures and rules that were enforced during the plague in the seventh century. The plague was a deadly disease that was spreading everywhere during this time. The proper technology and health care were not yet discovered; therefore there were different measures taken. Families were locked in their homes and constantly watched by a higher power. They were in complete control and every single movement that was made was being observed and/or recorded. The plague was an example of a new disciplinary method in which even the smallest everyday-life details were constantly being watched and regulated (284).
Similar to the plague stricken town there was the Leper Society. Any people with the Le...

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... surveillance. There has become many ways for people with supremacy to now observe anything and make it “unverifiable”(288). Panopticism made a huge contribution to the ideas of discipline in modern society.
Today I view panopticism as a way of living. If there isn’t constant surveillance there would be chaos. It is important that some things are watched. Schools, laboratories, jails, banks and many other institutions gain great benefit from panopticism. Even though I think that surveillance is important for safety, it has gotten out of control because the government can watch, hear and see anything if they really wanted to. Whether I like it or not, panopticism will only expand in today’s world.

Works Cited

Foucault, Michel. “Panopticism.” Ways of Reading. 9th ed. Eds. David Bartholomae and
Anthony Petrosky. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 282-309. Print.

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