The effect of techniques of the self on Charles Taylor's conception of positive freedom
In this paper I will argue that Charles Taylor’s conception of strong evaluation is, in Michel Foucault’ s terms, a technique of the self. I will then show that this argument has at least two consequences for Taylor’s conception of positive freedom. First, when we evaluate the freedom of a societ...
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| Language: | English |
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University of British Columbia
2009
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/2429/5789 |
| Summary: | In this paper I will argue that Charles Taylor’s conception of strong evaluation is, in Michel
Foucault’ s terms, a technique of the self. I will then show that this argument has at least two
consequences for Taylor’s conception of positive freedom. First, when we evaluate the freedom
of a society’s members we should analyze the techniques of the self practiced by those members.
Second, strong evaluation is a technique of the self that agents can use to overcome obstacles to
their freedom. I will also show that while Foucault is wary of making normative judgments about
conceptions of freedom, in his later writings he does seem to endorse techniques of the self that
can secure positive freedom for an agent. |
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