Podcast Summary: Power, Freedom, and Justice: Rethinking Foucault

Podcast Information

• Title: LSE: Public Lectures and Events
• Host/Author: London School of Economics and Political Science
• Episode: Power, Freedom, and Justice: Rethinking Foucault
• Release Date: February 12, 2025

Introduction In this enlightening episode of the LSE Public Lectures and Events podcast series, the London School of Economics and Political Science hosts Professor Mark Pennington, a distinguished figure in Political Economy and Public Policy at King's College London. Professor Pennington delves deep into the intricate relationship between Michel Foucault's postmodern social theory and liberal political economy, presenting his latest scholarly work on the subject.

Speaker Introduction Cheryl Schoenhart Bailey, a representative from the LSE's government department, opens the session by warmly welcoming attendees and introducing Professor Mark Pennington. She highlights Pennington's extensive academic background, including his role as the Director of the Center for the Study of Governance and Society, his research focus on the intersection of politics, philosophy, and economics, and his noteworthy publications, including his upcoming book with Oxford University Press on liberal political economy.

Main Lecture: The Intersection of Foucault and Liberal Political Economy

Topic Overview Professor Pennington begins his lecture by addressing the central question: What are the implications of Michel Foucault's postmodern social and political theory for liberal political economy? He defines key terms for clarity, distinguishing postmodern as a philosophy skeptical of universal truth claims and the notion of the autonomous individual, and liberal political economy as a social theory emphasizing individual agency in shaping personal and social outcomes, alongside a political project aimed at protecting that agency.

Postmodern Liberalism and Foucault's Compatibility In his forthcoming book, Foucault and Liberal Political Economy: Power, Knowledge, and Freedom, Pennington argues for the compatibility and complementarity between Foucault's core ideas and a stream of liberal thought he terms postmodern liberalism. He challenges the conventional debate surrounding Foucault's political views, which has been contentious both in political spheres—citing Elizabeth Truss's 2020 speech blaming Foucault for "extreme left, identitarian politics"—and in academia, where scholars like Daniel Zamora and Mitchell Dean suggest Foucault's late-career leanings towards liberalism.

Three Core Themes Pennington structures his argument around three pivotal themes:

1. Foucault's Conception of the Subject:

   • Foucault is renowned for his assertion of the "death of the subject," positing that individual identity is not rooted in an underlying essence but is rather a product of historical and cultural processes—what he terms discourse power.
   • Despite this, individuals retain the capacity for creative agency and resistance, allowing them to reconfigure their environment and self-perception.
   • Quote (04:30): "Foucault is quite a slippery character in some ways."
   • Pennington draws parallels between Foucault's views and those of liberal thinkers like Friedrich Hayek and Michael Oakeshott, who also acknowledge that individuals are shaped by traditions and cultural norms yet possess the entrepreneurial capacity to reshape themselves.

2. Institutionalization of Discourses and Power-Knowledge:

   • Foucault critiques how institutionalized discourses, particularly those masquerading as scientific reason, function as forms of power-knowledge that exert control over individuals and populations.
   • He distinguishes between disciplinary power—which targets individuals through surveillance and normalization—and biopolitical discourses—which manage entire populations via statistical and regulatory mechanisms.
   • Quote (16:20): "These technologies of government... govern at a distance through multiple inducements to public, private and civil agents to monitor and to police their own conduct."
   • Pennington aligns this with liberal critiques of scientism and centralized socio-economic planning, emphasizing the dangers of aligning such power-knowledge structures with state authority.

3. Human Rights: Positive vs. Negative Liberalism:

   • The liberal tradition bifurcates into egalitarian liberalism, which advocates for positive rights (access to resources and cultural status), and classical libertarian liberalism, which emphasizes negative rights (non-interference by the state or private entities).
   • Pennington argues that Foucault's understanding of freedom aligns more closely with negative rights liberalism. He contends that positive rights discourses can inadvertently constrain individual agency by enforcing fixed notions of the self and necessitating pervasive surveillance.
   • Quote (40:15): "Freedom, for Foucault, should be understood as a form of critical practice where people engage creatively with their culture."
   • He critiques positive rights liberalism for universalizing specific subjectivities and promoting surveillance mechanisms that hinder self-governance.

Notable Quotes with Attribution and Timestamps

• Introduction of Foucault’s Multifaceted Identity:

  • Mark Pennington [02:00]: "Foucault has been variously described as an anarchist, leftist, Marxist, nihilist, and more. None of these descriptions is important by itself. Taken together, they mean something."

• On Foucault’s View of Power and Freedom:

  • Mark Pennington [04:30]: "Freedom is the capacity to consciously adopt certain techniques in a process of resistance, resistance, re-subjectification or self-creation, what Foucault calls the care of the self."

• On Positive Rights Discourses:

  • Mark Pennington [39:00]: "These discourses tend to stimulate the production of a class of experts who claim to know how to mold people's behaviors in ways that will sustain specific distributed patterns."

• On Negative Rights and Liberalism:

  • Mark Pennington [56:20]: "Foucaultian freedom implies rules and ethics oriented towards the protection of largely negative rights to non-interference with person and property as emphasized by classical liberals and libertarians."

Conclusion: Advocating for Negative Rights Liberalism In his concluding remarks, Professor Pennington posits a negative rights liberalism as more conducive to Foucault's vision of freedom. He envisions a society that preserves individuals' non-interference rights, allowing for a pluralistic and competitive environment where diverse subjectivities can thrive and evolve without being constrained by overarching regulatory frameworks.

Closing Remarks and Q&A Cheryl Schoenhart Bailey commends Professor Pennington for his insightful presentation and transitions into a Q&A session. Attendees inquire about the nuances of postmodern liberalism, the impact of social media surveillance, the role of artificial intelligence, and the paradoxes within entrepreneurial freedom under power dynamics. Professor Pennington thoughtfully addresses each question, reiterating his stance on the importance of decentralized power structures and the preservation of negative rights to foster genuine individual agency.

Audience Engagement Highlights

• Owen (KCL PhD Student) [62:42]: Asked about the difference between postmodern liberalism and neoliberalism. Professor Pennington clarified that while he draws inspiration from Hayek, he does not advocate for neoliberal policies, emphasizing a creative synthesis between Foucaultian thought and liberal traditions.

• Daniel Guizo (University of Bristol Online) [63:52]: Inquired about the role of social media in normalizing forms of self-governance outside the state. Pennington responded by expressing cautious optimism about negative rights regimes but acknowledged the complex challenges posed by state-aligned social media surveillance.

• Phoebe (Recent University Graduate) [68:42]: Questioned whether resisting limitations could lead to new categorical constraints. Pennington emphasized the importance of continual self-reconfiguration and resistance to fixed identities, aligning with Foucault’s view of freedom as an ongoing art of living.

Final Thoughts Professor Mark Pennington’s lecture offers a profound re-examination of Michel Foucault’s theories through the lens of liberal political economy. By advocating for a postmodern liberalism that resonates with Foucault’s notions of power and freedom, Pennington provides a refreshing perspective that challenges traditional dichotomies within political theory. His emphasis on negative rights liberalism as a means to safeguard individual agency aligns with contemporary debates on autonomy, surveillance, and the role of the state in shaping societal norms.

Listeners are encouraged to engage with Pennington's forthcoming book for a more comprehensive exploration of these themes and to participate in future LSE Events podcasts to continue the discourse on critical social and political issues.