Foucault

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In part three, Scientia Sexualis, of “The History of sexuality” Foucault focuses on power structures of confession and the medical field, Foucault asks “how did this immense and traditional extortion of the sexual confession come to be constituted in scientific terms?”(Foucault pg. 65) Foucault was concerned with how talking about sex became a specific issue in the sciences, especially the medical sciences. Foucault provides an answer to this question with five critical points. In unpacking these fives concept the relationship between power, the medical sciences, and sexuality and sex can become clear. The first point Foucault makes on the power/sex/medicine concept is that “through a clinical codation of the inducement to speak” (Foucault, pg. 65). Foucault suggests that through the act of telling a doctor a personal history, symptoms, and behaviors the concept of confession is intertwined with the exam the doctor is providing. Furthermore, Foucault …show more content…
66). Foucault asserts that confessing can only be found true by the person who is hearing the confession. Meaning that to the person who is confessing, it is still only a partial truth and can only become a whole truth through the confirmation of the person hearing the confession. This give the listener an immense power, as they are the ones who decide what truth is and what truth is not.
Lastly, the powers/sex/medicine concept is created and maintained “through the medicalization of the effects of confession” (Foucault, pg. 67) Foucault implies that by having a confession diagnosed, has built a construct of norms and abnormal behavior. This gives great power to the doctor in regards to sexuality as they are now the creators of what is normal and what is not. Furthermore this means that sexuality can only be deciphered from a medical standpoint and has the only way to substantiate the sexuality or cure

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