Practices and Thought in Michel Foucault's Philosophy

Book excerpt: While Michel Foucault’s philosophy has been widely influential, it is difficult to grasp in its entirety. The premise of this book is that through the concept of practice a new kind of coherence can be perceived in his work. The focus of the book is the role of practice in the three axes of Foucault’s philosophy: knowledge, power and ethics. This provides a deeper understanding of his central philosophical question: “How have humans become objects of their own thought?” Practices and Thought in Michel Foucault’s Philosophy offers a concise introduction to Foucault’s main philosophical ideas. It also makes an original contribution to scholarly discussions of his key concepts and their development in his works.