Post-reading reflections written by students after they have read and discussed a novel or article.
Hobbes is well-known for describing the state of nature as one of perpetual struggle, with life being “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Hobbes proposed a social compact to get out of this situation, in which people cede some of their liberties to a governing body, establishing a strong, centralized Continue reading
Panopticism describes a system of power and control wherein individuals internalize the belief that they are being watched, leading them to regulate their behavior accordingly. Social media has become a modern tool of communication and idea sharing, but also surveillance and control. Thus, embedding panopticism into all of our digital Continue reading
This prompt is very interesting and challenging in the sense that I believe any form of government has the potential to become dystopian, but after reading Thomas Hobbes’ seminal work “Leviathan” and looking overing the Wikipedia article “List of Forms of Government,” I believe a direct democracy would be the Continue reading
In my opinion, a big factor in dystopias is the type of government. The most common governments I have seen in dystopias are totalitarian and authoritarian governments. Totalitarianism, according to Oxford Languages, is a system of government that is centralized, dictatorial, and requires complete subservience from the state. A couple Continue reading
Aristocracy is a type of government where a small group of wealthy and privileged people, often called aristocrats or nobles, hold the power and make decisions for everyone else. Timocracy is a type of government where power is based on a person’s honor and military service. Oligarchy is a type Continue reading
Throughout the world, nations are governed by many greatly diverse forms of government that dictate the everyday lives of their citizens. These forms of government can include monarchs, oligarchy, democracy, totalitarianism, and even communism. An ideal government protects its citizen’s rights, promotes social welfare, creates laws that improve one’s way Continue reading
Panopticism, a concept introduced by philosopher Foucault, clarifies how the idea of being watched, forces individuals to conform to proper and acceptable behavior. The panopticon establishes constant surveillance of inmates without their knowledge of being watched. The inmates don’t know if they are being watched which creates uncertainty of whether or Continue reading
What might America become with increased discipline and control? America primarily relies on technology and humans to monitor and manage the powerless. This monitoring occurs in a variety of ways, many of which are unknown to the individuals. Foucault’s theory of panopticism describes how the panopticon maintains discipline through perpetual Continue reading
Our society has become increasingly panoptic due to widespread surveillance made possible by digital technologies and the internet. The technology functions using the comprehensive gathering, examination, and possible evaluation of data produced by people’s daily interactions. All online activities produce data, including browsing history, social media interactions, and location tracking. Continue reading
Panopticism is essentially the idea that people are under constant surveillance or observation which forces them to behave appropriately. The notion that one is being constantly watched prompts them to regulate their behavior and conform to the norms set by society through ingraining fear into people. Although the idea of Continue reading
