Read the full article which is published on Philosophy Bits (external link)A text that makes a clear argument seems to function on a single level. This is the level of reason, where we are supposed to be convinced of the truth of the argument by the evidence and reasoning that are provided. At a glance, the text looks straightforward: there is an idea or position that is explicitly stated and reasons that support and defend it.
But it is in precisely this kind of text that metaphor can silently operate. Our focus on the reasoning distracts us from the possibility that something else might be happening, causing us to miss what the text is doing. As we read, the text’s metaphors work on us in ways we do not immediately perceive. In the end, it is not the arguments or conclusions that affect us most but something else entirely.
Poststructuralism as a Regime of Truth: Foucault and the Paradox of Philosophical Authority
Foucault’s critique of power and knowledge shaped poststructuralism, yet its rejection of truth risks becoming its own orthodoxy. To remain...
