foucault

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Michel Foucault

There are many “Foucaults” — whether they are all texts, or features in a network of institutional power, a régime of truth and knowledge, or the discourse of the author and his works.

{i} family name; Michel Foucault (1926-1984), French philosopher who had much influence on the humanities and social sciences
French philosopher and historian who explored the role played by power in shaping knowledge. His works include Madness and Civilization (1961) and the multi-volume History of Sexuality (1976-1986). Foucault pendulum Foucault Jean Bernard Léon Foucault Michel Paul
French physicist who determined the speed of light and showed that it travels slower in water than in air; invented the Foucault pendulum and the gyroscope (1819-1868)

Related Terms

Foucault current
an eddy current
Foucault pendulum
Foucault's pendulum
Foucault's pendulum
a pendulum on a long wire, free to move in any direction; the plane of its motion appears to turn (clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere) as the world turns beneath it
Foucault current
eddy current, localized current that forms within a conductor that is moving through a varying magnetic field (Electromagnetism)
Foucault pendulum
A simple pendulum suspended from a long wire and set into motion along a meridian. The plane of motion appears to turn clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, demonstrating the axial rotation of the earth. Large pendulum that is free to swing in any direction. As it swings back and forth, the earth rotates beneath it, so its perpendicular plane of swing rotates in relation to the earth's surface. Devised by J.-B.-L. Foucault in 1851, it provided the first laboratory demonstration that the earth spins on its axis. A Foucault pendulum always rotates clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere (a consequence of the Coriolis force). The rate of rotation depends on the latitude, becoming slower as the pendulum is placed closer to the equator; at the equator, a Foucault pendulum does not rotate
foucault pendulum
pendulum with a long wire; can swing in any direction; the change in the swing plane demonstrates the earth's rotation
Jean Foucault
born Sept. 18, 1819, Paris, France died Feb. 11, 1868, Paris French physicist. Though educated in medicine, his interests lay in physics. In 1850 he measured the speed of light with extreme accuracy. He invented the Foucault pendulum and used it to provide experimental proof that Earth rotates on its axis. He also discovered the existence of eddy currents (Foucault currents) in a copper disk moving in a strong magnetic field and invented (1859) a simple but extremely accurate method of testing telescope mirrors for surface defects
Michel Foucault
born Oct. 15, 1926, Poitiers, France died June 25, 1984, Paris French structuralist philosopher and historian. A professor at the Collège de France from 1970, he examined the codes and concepts by which societies operate, especially the "principles of exclusion" (such as the distinctions between the sane and the insane) by which a society defines itself. He theorized that, by surveying social attitudes in relation to institutions such as asylums, hospitals, and prisons, one can examine the development and omnipresence of power. His books including Madness and Civilization (1961), The Order of Things (1966), The Archaeology of Knowledge (1969), Discipline and Punish (1975), and History of Sexuality, 3 vol. (1976-84) made him one of the most influential intellectuals of his time. He was an outspoken homosexual, and he died of AIDS. See also structuralism
Michel Foucault
{i} (1926-1984) French philosopher who had much influence on the humanities and social sciences
Michel Paul Foucault
born Oct. 15, 1926, Poitiers, France died June 25, 1984, Paris French structuralist philosopher and historian. A professor at the Collège de France from 1970, he examined the codes and concepts by which societies operate, especially the "principles of exclusion" (such as the distinctions between the sane and the insane) by which a society defines itself. He theorized that, by surveying social attitudes in relation to institutions such as asylums, hospitals, and prisons, one can examine the development and omnipresence of power. His books including Madness and Civilization (1961), The Order of Things (1966), The Archaeology of Knowledge (1969), Discipline and Punish (1975), and History of Sexuality, 3 vol. (1976-84) made him one of the most influential intellectuals of his time. He was an outspoken homosexual, and he died of AIDS. See also structuralism
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