The effect of techniques of the self on Charles Taylor's conception of positive freedom

• Main Author: Heilman, James
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/5789

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.