Just Finished Reading: Foucault – A Very Short Introduction by Garry Gutting.

Michael Foucault who died in 1984 was one of the greatest French thinkers of the 20th Century producing works on a variety of topics as diverse as Literature, Crime and Punishment, Power and Sexuality. He was, and continues to be, a huge influence on both Continental and Anglo-American Philosophical discussion.

Foucault, like many modern European philosophers, is not an easy read. Gutting however does a sterling job of explaining his varied work and indeed pulls them together into a coherent theme. Foucault was interested in power relationships both between people and between the State and the individual. His historical studies of Madness and Punishment in particular call these relationships into question and prompt the reader to see things with fresh eyes – and what more can be asked of philosophy.

Whilst readable and full of incisive comments this book demands a certain amount of concentration and effort to understand just what Foucault was trying to get across. I was intrigued in particular by his views on crime and what he called ‘the archaeology of knowledge’. I expect that books by Foucault himself will be somewhat of a challenge but I have been inspired to know more about his ideas. Gutting’s book is hard work but worth the effort.