Foucault an Introduction - Part 1, Psychiatry, Power, Oppression, Depression, Philosophy

[auntieannie2]

Interesting youth photos, but horrible, yellow, incorrect overlay, maiking the 2nd part of the clip into antipsychiatry propaganda. The actual translation was covered over with that yellow BS. Too bad, I hope viewers will look at the unadulterated videos and form their own opinion about Foucaults view on power.

[hejafish]

Thanks for the interesting introduction to Foucault.. fascinating and frightening! Part 2 coming up!....

[toulouse666]

This is ass backwards retarded.

Psychiatrists are Medical Doctors that make DIAGNOSIS based on the medical "science" of the day.

Psychologists are merely glorified witch doctors/shamans with a 100% useless/meaningless "college degree" (i.e.: A piece of paper).

Heath Ledger didn't die because of "psychiatric drugs", he died because he was an improperly supervised depressive addict that overdosed, period.

Etc. etc. and obviously, etc.

[SSTTEEAALLTTHH]

@toulouse666

Being a medical scientist myself, I can tell you I had classes in university on Scientific Philosophy precisely to avoid such dogmatic thinking thinking and to stay open-minded.

It would be obvious that someone who is sick requires help, and should get so if he seeks it. However, the question that we have spent that entire semester arguing about is "What is healthy?". In most cases in modern science, it is quite dogmatically a deviation from the statistical norm...

[SSTTEEAALLTTHH]

@toulouse666

... as Boorse describes disease. This even poses problems for physiological pathologies, because some deviations are supposed to happen in a healthy person, such as fever, which is a "healthy response to an unhealthy situation". Another example are cholesterol values, which may deviate and yet not pose a threat in some individuals. So you can imagine what problems this definition of "health" gives in psychology, where pathologies aren't nearly as measurable...

[SSTTEEAALLTTHH]

@toulouse666

Say you do drugs. What is society's response to this? "You are doing something non-conform, you shouldn't do that, but don't worry, we will lock you up and make you better". In other words, they try to normalize you. In psychology, the line between curing and normalizing is very thin, if it even exists. But few medical scientists will ever agree in any case with your opinion on psychology.

But this is philosophy anyway, so no such thing as an absolute truth exists.

[agvplnt]

are those really Foucault's notes at 00:39? they are in Swedish! he apparently worked at the university of uppsala for a few years, so his knowing swedish i guess is not strange.. but writing in swedish.. it's interesting...

after a little more thought it does not seem all that strange to me anymore, i use all of the languages i know to think and when i take notes.. including strictly visual means. so. nevermind me :D

[8bobthebuilder]

Foucault is an epigone.

[tigerbaiter1]

The fact is that some people DO become mentally ill and DO pose a threat to themselves and others. It's demented to suggest otherwise.

[sgneal13]

why are you putting your words over foucaults?

[Metamorphines]

confessionsofamask Existentialism is only the first step.

[S2Cents]

I want Chomsky's immediate response. He must not disagree...

[PhilosophicalViking]

In his books Focault speaks of change and yes he had a bad experience with psychiatry. It(psychiatry) has changed drastically. Psychiatric drugs did not kill Heath Ledger he was taking oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine, awful lot of painkillers and valium(diazepam) in his system. Without money and fame he would have been listed as a suicide. Accident or not Heath Ledger killed Heath Ledger. Even Focault would have been upset at your uneducated assumption.

[confessionsofamask]

@PhilosophicalViking

Changed drastically? please expand on that amusing statement.

[PhilosophicalViking]

@ confessionsofamask- It's good to see I can amuse someone. Pharmaceutical companies have been the cause of "drastic change". For the better remains to be seen. I've heard both good and bad results. It all depends on a person's circumstances and/or where said circumstance happens. I have had both good and bad experiences. If I had my problem in the 1950's I would have received a lobotomy, whereas now I get medication. So there is personal experience for corroboration on "drastic change".

[confessionsofamask]

Medication enacts similar effects on the brain as a surgical lobotomy does though, I mean it physically destroys it well within the time it is imposed on a patient. And they probably do it to more people now, their power has grown substantially since Foucault wrote.

[PhilosophicalViking]

I agree 100% with you. I'm in the process of recovering who I am, or better yet, who I was before the meds. Then I'll make my comparison. So far so good.

To think that President Eisenhower warned all of us about the Military/Corporation Complex trying to take over. I include the pharmaceutical companies as part of that.

[confessionsofamask]

Me too. But they've certainly ruined my whole life. No one who hasn't had it done to them can even begin to imagine the torture they have inflicted upon me, and how they've degraded and diminished me. Fuck Foucault, I could have been the next Nietzsche. Now I'll probably merely die in an asylum.

[Metamorphines]

@confessionsofamask Why 'fuck Foucault'? It sounds like Foucault is saying things in agreement with what your experience is.

[confessionsofamask]

Because it's alliterative ? Oh, I like Foucault, but despite the great truth and uprightness of his work, it's of little significance to me in the grand scheme of things. Existentialism justly decrees that the individual is all, the universe, or society nothing.

[Timurito1]

What is this music in the beginning ? Please reply :)

[UnderstandingTheSelf]

The music is Edith Piaf :-)

[Timurito1]

I know this. Maybe you could write the song as well :)

[zodiacchiller]

@UnderstandingTheSelf : what is that at 2:06?

[gencholo]

@Timurito1

Edith Piaf "La vie"...

[cholanavy]

your translation needs lots of work

[whiff1962]

Why wouldn't depression, despair, and self-doubt not be denizens of a great mind? It would be hard to not think as Foucault did, without feeling the tug of nihilism, now and again.

[Caiogera]

HEATH LEDGER, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo­ooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[UnderstandingTheSelf]

Share your opinions about Michel Foucault! ;-)