[voidhorse]

Couldn't agree more...but which philosophical circles!? When I attended college a couple years ago it seemed like Foucault was either all the rage (to those who liked "continental" philosophy) or simply not discussed (in the "analytic" philosophical circles); he was lambasted almost exclusively by those who had heard some sketchy third party synopsis of his thought and reacted negatively and never bothered to actually comprehend his ideas.

I think the NYT quote on the back of many of the english paperback editions of his works, "Foucault must be reckoned with," sums up his position in the history of philosophy perfectly--his ideas were quite radical and not easy to contend with at first (especially from the perspective of anglo-american pedagogy), but the level of scholarly thinking and ingenuity the man possessed are awe-inducing.

His thesis History of Madness is still an incredible read and really drives home the often great degree of malleability and historical contingency of cultural/social concepts and categories.

[handojin]

'Discipline and Punish' is a masterwork and a great read. Foucault's influence is huge. If you're capable of reading him and choose not to, you may be cutting your nose off to spite your face.

I say this as someone who read Russell's chapter on Nietzsche and avoided reading his work, then read it.

Critiques should be accompanied with salt.