Michel Foucault, An Archaeologist of Silence

The centennial of the birth of Michel Foucault occurs in 2026. Born in Poitiers on October 15, 1926, Foucault contributed to the fields of psychology, philosophy, sociology, politics, and literature.

Foucault studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. His instructors included Jean Hyppolite, Louis Althusser, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Georges Canguilhem, and Georges Dumézil. After initially teaching psychology, his work examined the unspoken elements of human life that exist outside of apparent order and rationality.

In a 1965 French state television program, Foucault discussed the roles of philosophy and psychology in education. He suggested that a professor teaching psychology should adopt a persona or mask to prevent students from recognizing their natural features or the unity of their discourse.