Read the full article which is published on Philosophy Bits (external link)Reflecting honestly on yourself is often uncomfortable. You have memories that are unpleasant and you don’t want to relive them. Even the thought of putting yourself under the microscope makes you squirm. You know there are things hidden inside you that you won’t enjoy seeing.
Most importantly, you don’t want to see anything that would suggest you’re contributing to your own pain and suffering. You dread the possibility that you might need to make real changes because the way you’re living is not healthy or sustainable. It’s more comfortable to ignore what’s inside and carry on as though everything is fine.
But the consequence of doing so is that you channel all of your suffering out towards the world. When something goes wrong, you find someone to blame for it. When you’re feeling anxious, you angrily vent your frustrations onto others. When you’re in pain, you find someone to make into an enemy that you’re allowed to hate. All of these attempts to transfer your suffering only serve to strengthen and perpetuate it.
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...
