Lecture 6: Foucault wrings his hands about Cynics March 23, 2009
Posted by Andy in Foucault, Le Courage de la Vérité.Tags: Collège de France, Derek Krueger, Foucault, Hadot, Holy Fools, Le Courage de la Vérité, philosophy, theology
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The 6th lecture, from the 7th March, 1984, presents a picture of Foucault the Cynicism-researcher diametrically opposite to the last lecture. Whilst last time he drew wild parallels between the historical movement and the colourful developments in European art, politics, and religion, this lecture sees Foucault agonising – even obsessing – over the historical problems with studying Cynic philosophers in late antiquity. But then he’s back on track again, and sets up Plato’s notion of the true life as a framework against which to examine the transformations wrought by the Cynics. (more…)
Lecture 5: Arts of Existence March 18, 2009
Posted by Andy in Foucault, Le Courage de la Vérité.Tags: Augustine, city of God, Collège de France, Foucault, Le Courage de la Vérité, liberation theology
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A cock for life: Foucault’s third lecture March 10, 2009
Posted by Andy in Foucault, Le Courage de la Vérité.Tags: Collège de France, Foucault, Le Courage de la Vérité, pedagogics, philosophy, Plato, Socrates, teaching, techniques
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The third lecture of 1984 (the 15th February) examines Socrates’ appropriation of parrhesia. The transition I think he’s getting at is from the kind of truth-telling that opposes the powerful for the good of the collective towards the kind of truth-telling that opposes vanity for the sake of the good life (and this is where life is inserted into philosophical practice). But the main locus for this history is the last words of Socrates. (more…)
Lecture 2: Parrhesia in democracy and autocracy March 7, 2009
Posted by Andy in Foucault, Le Courage de la Vérité.Tags: Augustine, Collège de France, Foucault, Le Courage de la Vérité, philosophy, politics, techniques, theology, Trinity, Veridiction
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The second lecture continues Foucault’s analysis of parrhesia, and takes into consideration the political context. Parrhesia is argued to be suited to monarchies rather than democracies, and in its relation to the prince, its essential character is to be found. He starts off with some reflections on democracy, and curiously ends up with an almost Trinitarian-shaped account of philosophy. (more…)
Le Courage de la Vérité: summaries March 5, 2009
Posted by Andy in Foucault, Le Courage de la Vérité.Tags: Collège de France, Ethics, Foucault, Le Courage de la Vérité, philosophy, politics, techniques, theology, Truth-telling
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So I decided to do what Anthony says and write down some lecture summaries of the latest Foucault course, Le Courage de la Vérité: Le gouvernement de soi et des autres II. It’s a curious little book, and as I mentioned before, eagerly awaited by a number of us, not least because the status of the “ethical Foucault” may depend on its interpretation. We shall see. (nb all the below translations are mine) (more…)
The Newest Foucault book around February 16, 2009
Posted by Andy in Foucault, Idea History, philosophy, theology.1 comment so far
OK, so the French Amazon has just sent me a couple wonders. Foucault’s last ever lectures are the most important ones. These are referred to by Agamben in his Time that Remains (p60) for their rundown of the various types of truth-telling, and by Bernauer in Michel Foucault and Theology, where he claims that Foucault is basically for mysticism and against asceticism. Having recently re-read Security, Territory, and Population, this seems wildly unlikely, so I’m really looking forward to getting to the end of these lectures where he’s meant to make that claim. I note in passing that Foucault seems to have been reading the sayings of the desert fathers in his final months. Crazy. Finally we now have something more than McGushin’s frankly self-indulgent comments to go by as regards the final lectures on parrhesia and asceticism.
The two other books are perhaps of secondary interest, and I’m not gonna read them quite so immediately as the above. They are Veyne’s two books on Foucault and Christianisation in the fourth century respectively. Definitely must-reads for anyone looking into Foucault’s relationship to Theology.
I may post some conclusions after reading these lectures, although I’m doing final changes to my PhD and teaching relation and epistemology (two different classes) at a sixth form college at the same time, so don’t hold your breath!
Thanks to Jeremy for updates on the lectures (although he seems blissfully unaware of the Veyne book). I get so lazy when other people are that vigilant! Sorry for the long silence. I have viva’d and started teaching practice since last time.
Abstract October 31, 2008
Posted by Andy in Foucault, philosophy, techniques, theology.Tags: Asceticism, Holiness, Holy Fools, PhD Thesis, philosophy, theology, viva
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I thought I’d put out the abstract for my thesis so you guys can prepare me for the viva. So here it is: Holy Fools: A Theological Enquiry.
God, Vision, and Power May 19, 2008
Posted by Andy in Foucault, Idea History, liberation theology, philosophy, theology.Tags: Boston, changing your mind, Colonialism, George Berkeley, Postcolonialism, publishing, Studia Theologica
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Well, my article on George Berkeley’s Theological colonial thought is now publised in Studia Theologica. I’ve been working on it for far too long now and have begun to disagree with myself so it’s probably just as well it’s published now. This actually went in as an annual review thing once, but in a completely different form.
As one that has verged on Foucault fundamentalism, I’m proud how little the French guy gets a word in on this.
Anti-Reason April 10, 2008
Posted by Andy in Foucault, Idea History, philosophy, theology.Tags: being silly, Foucault, Joyce, philosophy, Pope, Reason, repentance, The Grandeur of Reason, Wittgenstein
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When I went to a conference on the place of reason in Theology, I gave a paper called “The Places of Unreason in Theology“. Unreason harks of course back to Foucault.
What strikes me in much Philosophy is that its contribution to its field is so negative. Foucault starts off by writing about Unreason; Wittgenstein claims to finish off all Philosophy, and so on. Something similar can be seen in other fields: Joyce writes the anti-novel; Bataille writes an Atheology.
I think we can agree that these negations of reason end up simply as developments in reason. They give arguments, are refuted, argue, offer evidence. All reasonable activities. But they argue for a reformulation of reason.
Is that what the call is arguing against when it calls for a renewed valuing of reason? Is it saying we can’t do anti-reason? And if so, does that just mean we have to continue as before?
I’m trying to get at how strange a project it is to recommend reason…
The Government of Self and Others March 12, 2008
Posted by Andy in Foucault, philosophy, theology, Uncategorized.Tags: Books, Foucault, philosophy, Sunniva Grace, theology
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As soon as my daughter’s finished with this book, I’ll be reading it. It looks good.
ad absurdum 
