Pre-Reading: Foucault (The Panopticon)

1 Pre-Reading: Foucault (The Panopticon) Mount Royal University COMM 3500-001: Media, Culture and Communication Theory Richard Erlendson February 27th, 2023 2 Pre-Reading: Foucault (The Panopticon) Key Quotation: A key quotation from the reading that resonates with me is, "The achievement cancels the premises. To the degree to which freedom from want, the concrete substance of all freedom, is becoming a real possibility, the liberties which pertain to a state of lower productivity are losing their former content” (Foucault, 2012, p. 303). Connection to my life: This quote resonates with me as it highlights how freedom changes as society progresses and people's basic needs are met. The idea makes me think about how having enough of what we need can affect what freedom really means. the quote says that as societies get better at meeting people's needs, the old ideas about freedom become less important. It challenges what we usually think about freedom, showing how having enough of what we need can change what freedom looks like. For me, the quote makes me think about how having what I need affects my own freedom. It reminds me that real freedom isn't just about not being held back by others, but also about being able to live a good life. Since I care about freedom for myself and others, understanding this connection is important. Also, the quote makes me think about how improvements in living conditions can change society as a whole. It makes me consider how having what we need can make society different and change what freedom means for everyone. This makes me want to support policies that make sure everyone's needs are met. It reminds me that not everyone has what they need, which can make it hard for them to feel truly free. It shows how unfairness in access to resources can stop people from being as free as they should be. It also makes me think about how important it is to make sure everyone has what they need to live a good life. Foucault's quote makes me think hard about how having what we need affects what 3 freedom means. It makes me want to understand the concept better so I can work towards a fairer world where everyone has the chance to live a good life. Significance and connection to the topic: The quotation is significant because it emphasizes how freedom changes as society moves forward and meets basic needs. It shows how things like money, personal freedom, and how society is organized all affect each other. Understanding this helps us see how progress, needs, and what people think about freedom are all connected. The quote says that when societies provide things like food and shelter, our idea of freedom can change meaning freedom isn't just about being free from rules but also about having what we need to live well. It explains how much money you have affects how free you feel. If you don't have a lot of money, you might not have many choices or chances, which makes you feel less free. The quote also says that freedom isn't just up to each person. It's also about how society is set up and how much money there is which means we need to fix big problems like inequality and unfair rules so everyone can have a good life. Foucault's quote shows how progress, needs, and what we think about freedom all go together. It tells us we need to think carefully about what freedom really means as society changes. If we understand how important things like having enough money are for being free, we can make society better for everyone. Challenging idea: A concept that I personally find challenging is the idea of one-dimensional thought and behavior in modern society because it's complicated and has big effects on how we think and act. The concept says that people are kind of stuck in a system that controls what they believe and how they behave, making it hard for them to think for themselves or go against the flow. Figuring out how society shapes our freedom and limits our ability to think critically raises big 4 questions about what freedom really means and if we can break free from the mold society puts us in. One thing that makes such a concept hard to understand is how much society influences our thoughts and actions. In today's world, we're bombarded with tons of information, ideas, and messages telling us what to believe and how to act. With all this coming at us, it's tough to question these messages and stand up for what we really think. The idea challenges the idea that we're totally free to make our own choices. It makes me wonder if we're really in control of our decisions when society kind of pushes us to think and act in certain ways. Understanding how society limits our ability to think critically and go against the grain means looking at how power, culture, and control play into it. Also, thinking about one-dimensional thought and behavior makes us think about how society shapes who we are. It says that we're not just these independent thinkers – we're also shaped by society's rules and expectations. It makes us question if our identities are really our own or if they're just what society tells us they should be. 5 References Foucault, M. (2012). Discipline and punish. In Longhofer, W., Winchester, D. (Eds). Social theory re-wired: New connections to classical and contemporary perspectives. (pp. 299– 309). New York, NY: Routledge. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mtroyal-ebooks/reader.action? docID=4470185&ppg=344