The Physics of Power
Although I’m not a scientist (really, really not a scientist), I found it helpful to conceptualize the ideas that Foucault presents on power in “Part IV: The Deployment of Sexuality” by relating them to some basic laws of physics. Foucault’s claim that power is “the multiplicity of force relations immanent in the sphere in which they operate” got me to thinking about two laws in particular: the law of conservation of energy and Newton’s third law of motion. The former states that the total amount of energy in a system, or “sphere in which [it] operate[s],” remains constant, or is conserved, over time and that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed. The last part of this definition, the idea of energy being transferred and transformed, is what initially sparked in my mind the correlation between Foucault’s theories on power and how energy works in our universe. It relates to Foucault’s claim that power does not exist unilaterally but in a field of constant response. For example, a parent scolding a child may seem to have the power in the situation, and yet the child’s undetermined response, no matter how meek, is an exercise of power of its own. The child’s perception of the scolding parent, his or her emotional or physical responses all contribute to the child’s source of power in the situation.
Building off the idea that power is multidirectional and can take on many forms, I come to Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion: “To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.” Foucault does not go so far to propose that responses to power will be equal in force to the one by which it is being acted upon, or even that they will be decidedly confrontational, but he does maintain that a response of unique power is inevitable. He also claims that the response always contains a “condition of possibility,” which creates in the power arena a unique form of power with which to be contended. For example, the fact that the reprimanded child has a vast array of responses to choose from automatically places power in his or her hands. The child may obey, disobey, throw a tantrum, or beg for forgiveness. Each response is characterized by a distinct kind of power and again, the collective possibilities form their own source of power as well. So, in this instance we can understand power as something that requires a reaction, even if it is not equal or opposite as Newton’s law requires.
Tags: Foucault, History of Sexuality, law of conservation of energy, laws of motion, physics, Power
February 13th, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Hi Sophia,
Your point about the links between concepts in physics and Foucault’s discussion of power relations is on target and a useful way to think about how power relations operate in his formulation. For tomorrow, think about a way to depict this visually (on the board) for us. In terms of your final paragraph, see if you can refine your last sentence to incorporate what Foucault says about “resistance” in light of power.