Few Words on Foucault’s Panopticism

            Foucault in his Panopticism explains a link between power, discipline, and control. To do so, he draws on the notion of Bentham's Panopticon where prisoners in their prison cells are visible to the watchers, but the watchers remain invisible to the prisoners. This system is devised in order to suppress the plot the prisoners might hatch against the authority. The notion of constant surveillance is implanted in prisoners' psyche in such a way that they cannot wipe out the idea of surveillance even though they are not truly surveiled.  This way discipline is maintained by generating fear in the mind of the prisoners, and thus, a control upon them is installed. This idea of Panopticon or of Panopticism has practical utility, and that's why, schools, colleges, hospitals, and shopping malls introduce surveillance system to get outcomes. However, Bentham's notion of Panopticon, and Foucault's idea of Panopticism are not fully new and novel. Rather hundreds years before their births, the notion of Panopticon/Panopticon finds an expression in the Bible in which there is an anecdote  of physical union between Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God sees Adam and Eve in physical union but Adam and Eve cannot see god. God plays a role of a voyeur. God banishes them from the Garden of Eden for the violation of his command. Humans know it. They know the punishment imposed on Adam and Eve. So, they (humans) dare not violate God’s command. Thus, God maintains discipline and control on humans. This is one kind of fear God has implanted in human minds. God displays his power by meting out punishment on Adam and Eve. The exhibition of power, however, is not limited to God and the authority of the State alone. The display of power is also seen among the super powers. For example, the explosion of Little Boy (atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima), and Fat Man (atomic bomb pelted on Nagasaki) by the US is an exhibition of power that perpetuates its control over the rest of the world. Its display of power in a ceremonial fashion in Iraq-destruction consolidates its supreme sway. No one challenges this big power. Thus, it maintains discipline and control worldwide infusing panic in the minds of other powers!