Foucault

Freedom in a Panoptic Society

In Foucault’s essay “Panopticism” the ideas expressed greatly parallel the struggles of a society attempting to maintain a government based on an ideal of democracy. The ultimate goal of democracy is to allow individuals inherent rights and freedoms. Unfortunately, the freedom that people within a democracy enjoy does not come without sacrifices. Without regulation, society is not one of freedom. Without any type of supervision society becomes one of total chaos. Part of human freedom is the opportunity to act freely and participate in their own social activities. Surveillance can either be viewed as a threat to freedom and democracy, if it constricts the ability to function regularly in society, or as a method of regulating activity to those that are socially acceptable.
While people in a democracy, such as America, desire freedom with little restraint there are always the exceptional few who cannot function without the constant ...