Marianne Flotron

"Political power is exercised through knowledge of the human mind in general - its mechanisms, strengths and weaknesses[...]. This knowledge is obtained and deployed through techniques that act on the mentality and behavior of individuals, groups and populations. This is the entwinement of ‘power/knowledge'. [...]This mode of governing, of ‘the conduct of conduct', is not confined to politics, but has spread from the state into every domain of social life, including notably the management of the self by the self. Neoliberal societies in particular require citizens to be autonomous and regulate themselves. The techniques of the self that the social sciences offer - tests, therapies, training programs etc. - help to fulfill this ‘duty to be free'.” Derksen, Maarten and Beaulieu, Anne (forthcoming). Social Technology. In: Ian Jarvie and Jesús Zamora-Bonilla (Eds), Handbook of Philosophy of Social Science. SAGE