In this brilliant work, the most influential philosopher since Sartre suggests that such vaunted reforms as the abolition of torture and the emergence of the modern penitentiary have merely shifted the focus of punishment from the prisoner's body to his soul.
米歇尔・福柯,20世纪极富挑战性和反判性的法国思想家。青年时期就学于巴黎高等师范学校,以后曾担任多所大学的教职。1970年起任法兰西学院思想系统史教授,直至逝世。福柯的大多数研究致力于考察具体的历史,由此开掘出众多富有冲击力的思想主题,从而激烈地批判现代理性话语;同时,福柯的行文风格具有鲜明的文学色彩,讲究修辞,饱含激情,这也是他在欧美世界产生巨大影响的一个重要原因。