Foucault's Ontology and Epistemology of Ethics

Foucault characterizes ethics as “the reflexive practice of freedom”. He does not have the ambitions of the usual moral philosopher. Foucault develops a robust conceptual apparatus appropriate to the ethical domain, but he does not seek an exhaustive stipulation of its invariant features. Instead, h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inA Companion to Foucault pp. 491 - 509
Main Author Faubion, James D
Format Book Chapter
LanguageEnglish
Published Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 12.03.2013
Subjects
epistemology
ethics
Foucault
ontology
philosophy
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Summary:Foucault characterizes ethics as “the reflexive practice of freedom”. He does not have the ambitions of the usual moral philosopher. Foucault develops a robust conceptual apparatus appropriate to the ethical domain, but he does not seek an exhaustive stipulation of its invariant features. Instead, he explores and elucidates the problematics of the reflexive practice of freedom that genealogically connect an extended family of ethical systems. His exploration is increasingly confined within the boundaries of what the author identifies as an analytical triangle that connects self‐care, the governance of others, and parrhesia. The triangle coalesces first in the third volume of The History of Sexuality and specifically in Foucault's treatment of gnothi seauton – the Pythian imperative to “know thyself.” It is the most effective frame through which to assess both the content and the limits of what with qualification can be cast as Foucault's ontology and epistemology of ethics.
ISBN:9781444334067
1444334069
DOI:10.1002/9781118324905.ch25