Foucault's Concepts Quiz

12 Questions

According to Foucault, knowledge always conforms to restraints and rules; power also needs something approximating to ______.

knowledge

Richard Rorty suggested the utter uselessness of ‘the distinction between “ideology” and a form of thought … which escapes being ______’

ideology

For Freeden, ideologies are not the poor relation of political philosophy. On the contrary, they provide equally valid ______.

insights

Liberty, for example, is not owned by ______; it can reappear legitimately within other ideologies.

liberalism

Concepts such as ______ or equality have manifold meanings; different aspects of these meanings will be fixed, then utilized and arranged within different ideological frameworks.

liberty

These patterns can be rearranged within alternative ideological schemes – almost like ______ furniture.

modular

What are the core concepts of ideologies?

Non-negotiable aspects

What is the term used by Freeden to describe the competition over concepts between ideologies?

Contestation

What do ideologies often integrate and accommodate?

Vagueness

According to Michael Freeden, ideologies are best understood through his approach of 'conceptual morphology', which focuses on

the implications and insights of a particular set of political views

According to Richard Rorty, the distinction between 'ideology' and a form of thought that 'escapes being ideology' is

meaningless and arbitrary

Ideologies are best described as

conceptual maps for navigating the political realm

Study Notes

Knowledge and Power

According to Foucault, knowledge is shaped by restraints and rules, and power requires something similar to a constraint or regulation.

Ideologies and Philosophy

Richard Rorty argued that the distinction between "ideology" and a form of thought that escapes being ideology is useless.

Freeden's View of Ideologies

For Michael Freeden, ideologies are equally valid forms of thought, not inferior to political philosophy.
Liberty, for example, is not exclusive to one ideology, but can reappear in other ideologies.
Concepts like liberty, equality, and others have multiple meanings, which are fixed, utilized, and arranged within different ideological frameworks.

Characteristics of Ideologies

Core concepts of ideologies are rearranged within alternative ideological schemes, similar to rearranging furniture.
The competition over concepts between ideologies is termed as "conceptual contestation" by Freeden.
Ideologies often integrate and accommodate different aspects of complex concepts.

Conceptual Morphology

Michael Freeden's approach to understanding ideologies is through "conceptual morphology", focusing on the patterns and arrangements of concepts within ideologies.