Chapter 4 – Foucault and the Will to Power

Michel Foucault was not interested in what is true. He was interested in who gets to decide what counts as true. For Foucault, knowledge was never neutral—it was always entangled with power. This fundamental insight reshaped entire fields of study, from sociology to gender theory, education to criminal justice. Foucault taught us to question the stories we’ve been told—not just about history, but about ourselves.

In this chapter, we explore Foucault’s theories of discourse, discipline, and power, and how they continue to shape today’s cultural and political landscape. We’ll contrast his suspicion of authority with the biblical vision of truth as liberating, not oppressive.

Power/Knowledge

At the heart of Foucault’s philosophy is the claim that “knowledge is not made for understanding; it is made for cutting.” In other words, knowledge isn’t simply discovered—it is produced by systems of power. Every institution that claims to know the truth—the church, the state, the university—is also exercising control. What we call “truth” is the product of power arrangements.

Foucault coined the term “power/knowledge” to express this entanglement. Truth isn’t outside history—it is historically constructed by those in positions of authority. Schools don’t just educate—they normalize. Medicine doesn’t just heal—it categorizes. Law doesn’t just protect—it disciplines.

The Disciplinary Society

In his work Discipline and Punish, Foucault described the evolution of modern power—from the brute force of monarchs to the subtle coercion of institutions. He famously contrasted the old spectacle of public execution with the modern prison system. The goal was no longer to punish the body but to shape the soul.

Foucault argued that we live in a “disciplinary society,” where power is diffuse, internalized, and anonymous. Surveillance becomes a tool of control, not through visible violence but through invisible norms. The panopticon—a circular prison where inmates are always potentially watched—becomes a metaphor for modern life. We behave not because we are forced to, but because we are conditioned to.

Biopolitics and the Regulation of Life

Later in his career, Foucault turned to “biopolitics”—the ways in which governments manage populations through health, sexuality, and life itself. From census data to vaccination mandates, from birth control to euthanasia, modern states don’t just govern individuals—they regulate entire species.

This expansion of power is not necessarily tyrannical. It often comes clothed in the language of care, progress, and expertise. But for Foucault, the danger lies precisely in its subtlety. Power hides behind rationality. Control is masked as compassion.

Language and Discourse

Foucault’s influence on postmodern thought is especially clear in his theory of discourse. Language is not just a means of communication—it is a vehicle of power. What can be said, who gets to speak, what counts as knowledge—all are controlled by discursive systems.

This idea laid the foundation for later theorists like Judith Butler, who applied it to gender, and Edward Said, who applied it to colonialism. In the Foucauldian worldview, all claims to truth must be interrogated for their hidden agenda. Every statement is a political act.

Cultural Impact

Foucault’s ideas have saturated contemporary institutions. In academia, “critical theory” has become a dominant paradigm. In politics, activists draw on Foucauldian language to critique systemic injustice. In education, teachers are trained to question the “hidden curriculum.” Even in theology, liberationist readings of Scripture reflect his suspicion of inherited power.

Perhaps most significantly, Foucault helped erode the distinction between truth and narrative. He didn’t deny facts—but he insisted that which facts matter, and how they are framed, is always a matter of power.

Biblical Response: Truth as Light, Not Weapon

Where Foucault saw truth as a tool of oppression, Scripture presents truth as a source of freedom. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). The Bible acknowledges the misuse of power—even among religious authorities—but it does not abandon the category of truth itself.

Christianity does not claim that truth is created by those in power. Rather, it declares that truth exists beyond us, revealed by a God who is holy, just, and loving. The proper use of authority is not domination but stewardship.

Foucault’s critique is a necessary challenge to complacent institutions. But his suspicion becomes corrosive when applied universally. A world without legitimate authority becomes a world where nothing can be trusted—not even love.

Discernment Today

Foucault helps us see how culture shapes consciousness. He reminds us that no claim is innocent, no system neutral. His insights are vital for critiquing hypocrisy and guarding against authoritarian drift.

But the Christian must go further. We must believe not only that power can be critiqued, but that truth can be found. Not all discipline is domination. Not all authority is violence. The gospel itself is a declaration of truth—spoken not from the throne of power, but from a cross.