Docile Body Dichotomy

Starting at the precise moment of one’s birth, our bodies become part of a society founded and maintain by a scheme of docile bodies. Mainly focused in the control of the human body, the structure emphasizes in turning the body into an obedient machine that will serve the necessities of a given civilization. Philosopher Michael Foucault describes this scheme, composed by three main techniques: “the scale of the control, the object of the control and the modality”(Foucault, pp. 331-332). Although the explanation of this scheme is presented in terms of military training as Foucault expands on each of the techniques, these can also be appreciated in our daily lives and more importantly in the current education system. “In every society, the body was in the grip of very strict powers, which imposed on it constrains, prohibitions or obligations”(Foucault, p. 331). Today’s society is not exempt from this tactic, by controlling individual’s body in its totality is easier to assure the achievement of end goals. Each of the three main techniques to create a docile body merge within the scheme of current …show more content…
This is where the second aspect comes in; “the object of control; the efficiency of movements and their internal organization”(Foucault, p. 331). I see this aspect reflected in today’s education in terms of how a student must learn and efficiently pass every subject in order to graduate in time, whether it is in primary and secondary schools or in college. As a matter of fact, the curriculum in every educational level is the tool that controls the efficiency of every member of the system. While the curriculum controls the efficiency of educators by strictly staying what he or she must achieve in a given period of time, students are regularly tested in every subject as a way of obligating students to be more efficient in their