Reddit reviews The Foucault Reader

As an English major in college, I've been inundated with fiction for years. Now I'm on a big non-fiction and essay kick.

At present I would recommend Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, a marvelous piece of literary non-fiction set in the slums of Mumbai, and a tidy selection of Foucault that I like to take chunks out of between other books.

The purpose of the modern state is to promote and manage life as to provide human resources for capitalism to thrive. Drugs like MDMA/LSD/Shrooms deconstruct the disciplinary/regulatory mental constructs that keep us working hard and docile. Widespread use of these drugs are would lead to a downturn in the economy and/or political revolt, so they are illegal.

It's not a conspiracy, its just how our system works. Focault's a smart dude, he figured out these techniques of power by charting their development in the 17th and 18th century.

Hello, French person. You might want to try reading up on another French person named Michel Foucault. His academic career has been dissecting power structures and the effects institutions have on society.

https://www.amazon.com/Foucault-Reader-Michel/dp/0394713400

Gotta give credit where credit is due.

I was assigned The Foucault Reader in a class last year - it is a collection of chapters from his books along with some other sources (an interview, for example), which gives a good overview of his work.

Edit: https://www.amazon.ca/Foucault-Reader-Michel/dp/0394713400
Link to the book on Amazon. I forgot that it was edited by Rabinow!

I took a course on him in college (I was a French major), and our professor thankfully suggested that we ready this book alongside the many Foucaults we were studying. It helps put everything in context and explain a bit better what he's talking about.