Panopticon

Panopticon – the “perfect prison,” the “ultimate surveillance machine” and the “new model for modern society” (Knachel, par. 1). According to Dictionary.com, “Panopticon” is a combination of the Greek words pan, meaning “all”, and optikon, referring to “sight”. Collectively, the etymology of the word defines panopticon as “all-seeing”. The Panopticon is an architectural design proposed by Jeremy Bentham, an English philosopher. It is a circular building wherein “all parts of the interior are…

being infected. This is where you start to see the power in their society build up. The people did not put an end to the power that the authorities had over them. This leads up to the idea and construction of the panopticon; which led people to start believing in a new theory. The panopticon at that time was believed to form structure in their society by building this prison system at that time. It was a circular building with individual rooms where the prisoners were kept. In the center of the…

As well as a supporter of Beccaria, he came up with the panoptical concept for prisons in 1791. Bentham’s panopticon is a prison in which the jailer or a guard can view all the inmates in their cells without being seen himself. Ideally, inmates would be watched at all times. Bentham believed that constant surveillance would both punish and reform inmates. It would…

individual in his/her place, is securely confined to a cell which he is seen from the front by the supervisor. He is seen, but does not see; he is the subject of information, never a subject in communication.” (Foucault 390) Jeremy Bentham presented the panopticon as a way for humans to monitor their selves through reasonable and humane enforcement; otherwise known as fear. Unfortunately,…

In Discipline and Punish, Michel Foucault breaks down the premises of a panoptic system, outlining the mechanics through which it controls a population and linking it to other structures seen throughout a society, such as in prisons and schools. An example of such evident in the implementation of new grading rubrics for English teachers across America in 1923. The essays of 12th graders nationwide, who wrote under the same conditions, formed the base of a design for a national rubric, consisting…

openly in society and makes power function more efficiently. Those who are put into the panopticon believe others are watching them when in reality no one may be watching them. Those in the Panopticon also are not able to communicate with others and their every move is acted upon that they believe they are being watched non-stop. Also, the panopticon become a norm to society. Foucault says at the end that the panopticon is a prison that resembles factories, schools, and hospitals. In all these…

Panopticism by Michel Foucault states that with the use of architecture and geometry, a ‘Panopticon’ can create in visitors a sense of being watched, making a change to the behavior of an individual subject to observation and leading him to act in a disciplined manner. Bentham’s ‘Panopticon’ is the architectural model of this theory. His ‘Panopticon’ is based on an annular building at the periphery containing cell divisions, with a central tower at the center with two windows that make it able…

How believable would it be if someone claimed that most of what we know about power and order, is based off of either pre-Benthamist, Benthamist, and Foucauldian views? And to what degree is the panopticon idea true to our modern day society? Pre-Benthamist view involves physical torture or simply being an attraction for others in a shaming type of way, and over all the instilment of terror. Benthamist, is more directed to controlling of the space and time over others, and Foucauldian basis its…

Unit 5 Assignment/Question 2 French philosopher Michel Foucault, whose primary field of inquiry was that of power systems working to control and monitor individuals, was massively interested in the process of punishment and how it evolved over time on the basis of power play in the society. This essay seeks to explore Foucault’s examination of the history of punishment, the changes that the penal system went through, the advantages and disadvantages that came with these changes and how…

RESEARCH QUESTION Consider how Canadian colonial policy has affected Aboriginal sovereignty in the post-confederation Canada and modern day Canada; examine factors that influenced the right to exercise these sovereignty claims through a Foucauldian lens considering race and racialization. METHODOLOGY I will be evaluating my question as a within-case comparison, looking that the differences over time, in this instance post-confederation Canada (1867) and modern day Canada…