Discipline in the Modern Era

Running head: DISCIPLINE IN THE MODERN ERA
Discipline in the Modern Era
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DISCIPLINE IN THE MODERN ERA
1
The personality and character of each individual differs from one person to that of
another. This is due to the reason that the character development of a person depends upon how
well one can control one’s desires and wants (Foucault 2018). This in turn depends upon the
level of control one exercises over the body and mind of oneself. This essay seeks to understand
how discipline and control is achieved in the contemporary world of today. For this purpose, the
readings of Foucault and Agamben are analyzed in a greater detail. These two scholars talked
about the human nature and how they can be changed as a result of the changes in their state.
In a human society, power flows from a particular institution. Such institutions or
authoritative people have the power and the authority to ensure that certain dictates are made
with the purpose of ensuring that such dictates are followed by the concerned people (Frijhoff
2018). However, Foucault and several other political philosophers were of the idea that often
times it is observed that power and authority also flows from the body and mind of a particular
individual. In this context, they are of the idea that an individual is capable of providing
important disciplines to oneself provided that they are able to control and utilize the power in a
right aspect (Dillon and Neal 2015). In this manner, discipline and control can be achieved by
both the actions of an individual and by the institutions of the society.
According to Foucault in the eighteenth century England, there was a considerable shift
from torture to imprisonment of the prisoners (Kelly 2015). Foucault gives two examples of
penal punishments in order to draw out the distinction. For the attempted murder of King Louis
the XV, the perpetrator was imprisoned then tortured and eventually burned to death. The
sovereign form of power and authority called for a strict punishment so that the people would
realize that committing acts of crimes against the sovereign power would invite absolute torture
(Prado 2018). In the subsequent days, such high level of torture was reduced to more humane