There is no power relation without the correlative constitution of a field of knowledge, nor any knowledge that does not presuppose and constitute at the same time power relations

Michel Foucault
About This Quote

Michel Foucault’s definition of power is that “power is the organized ability to obtain some goal through the use of coercive instruments.” From this definition, he makes clear that there can be no power without knowledge. Knowledge plays a vital role in the power relation, being the foundation of power. Without knowledge, you have nothing to use to obtain your goal. Knowledge is defined as “an organization of concepts, beliefs, values, and representations which are transmitted from person to person or group to group with the aim of creating certain effects in society.”

Source: Discipline And Punish: The Birth Of The Prison

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More Quotes By Michel Foucault
  1. The strategic adversary is fascism... the fascism in us all, in our heads and in our everyday behavior, the fascism that causes us to love power, to desire the very thing that dominates and exploits us.
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