Abstract
Michel Foucault and Jurgen Habermas represent two of the most influential contemporary philosophers of the postwar era. Their studies of modern society have contributed to continuous debate and development in moral and legal philosophy, sociology, gender studies, organizational analysis,1 and more recently, in systems science, especially within the paradigm of Critical Systems Thinking. However, it is important to highlight that most of the Critical Systems literature (e.g., Ulrich, 1983; Flood & Jackson, 1991a; Jackson, 1991; Midgley, 1992) has concentrated almost exclusively on the work of Habermas. Only Flood (1990) has considered Foucault in any depth, but he has tended to focus on the earlier work. As far as I am aware, Foucault’s later work has not yet been assessed by critical systems thinkers at all.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Adorno, T. (1979). Negative dialectics (E. Aston, Trans.). New York: Seabury Press.
Burrell, G. (1988). Modernism, postmodernism and organisational analysis 2: The contribution of Michel Foucault. Organisational Studies, 9(2).
Burrell, G., & Cooper, R. (1988). Modernism, postmodernism and organisational analysis: An introduction. Organisational Studies, 9(1).
Couzens-Hoy, D. (1994). Critical theory. In T. McCarthy & D. Couzens-Hoy, Critical theory. Oxford: Blackwell.
Davidson, A. I. (1986). Archaeology, genealogy, ethics. In D. Couzens-Hoy (Ed.), Foucault a critical reader. Oxford: Blackwell.
Dávila, J. (1993). Foucault’s interpretive analytics of power, Systems Practice, 6(4).
Dreyfus, H., & Rabinow, P. (1982). Michel Foucault, beyond structuralism and hermeneutics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Flood, R. L. (1990). Liberating systems theory. New York: Plenum Press.
Flood, R. L., & Jackson, M. C. (1991a). Critical systems thinking: Directed readings. New York: Wiley.
Flood, R. L. & Jackson, M. C. (1991b). Creative problem solving: Total systems intervention. New York: Wiley.
Foucault, M. (1965). Madness and civilisation: A history of the insanity in the age of reason. London: Tavistock.
Foucault, M. (1973). The birth of the clinic: An archaeology of medical perception. London: Tavistock.
Foucault, M. (1974). The order of things: An archaeology of the human sciences. London: Tavistock.
Foucault, M. (1977a). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison. London: Penguin.
Foucault, M. (1977b). Intellectuals and power. In D. F. Bouchard (Ed. & Trans.), Language, counter-memory, practice. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Foucault, M. (1978). The history of sexuality: An introduction. London: Penguin.
Foucault, M. (1980). Power I knowledge, C. Gordon (Ed.). Brighton: Harvester Press.
Foucault, M. (1982). The subject and power. In H. Dreyfus & P. Rabinow, Michel Foucault, beyond structuralism and hermeneutics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Foucault, M. (1984). What is enlightenment? In P. Rabinow (Ed.), The Foucault reader. New York: Pantheon.
Foucault, M. (1985). The use of pleasure, the history of sexuality (Vol. 2). London: Penguin.
Habermas, J. (1984). The theory of communicative action, 2 vols. Boston: Beacon Press.
Hiley, D. R. (1984). Foucault and the analysis of power: Political engagement without liberal hope or comfort. Praxis International 4(2).
Horkheimer, M. (1972). Traditional and critical theory, postscript. In Critical theory: Selected essays (M. J. O’Connell, Trans.). New York: Seabury Press.
Jackson, M. C. (1991). Systems methodology for the management sciences. New York: Plenum Press.
Jackson, M. C., & Keys, P. (1984). Towards a system of systems methodologies. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 35, 473–486.
Midgley, G. (1992). The sacred and the profane in critical systems thinking. Systems Practice 5, 5–16.
Mottier, V. (1995). A toolbox of deadly spanners, The Times ‘Higher’ Educational Supplement, October 13, p. 27.
Nehemas, A. (1988). Review of Habermas’ philosophical discourse of modernity. The New Republic, 198(22).
Rabinow, P. (Ed.). (1984). The Foucault reader. London: Penguin Books.
Raulet, G. (1983). Interview with Gérald Raulet. Telos, 55,Spring.
Sheridan, A. (1980). Michel Foucault: The will to truth. London: Tavistock.
Ulrich, W. (1983). Critical heuristics of social planning: A new approach to practical philosophy. Bern: Haupt.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1996 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Valero-Silva, N. (1996). A Foucauldian Reflection on Critical Systems Thinking. In: Flood, R.L., Romm, N.R.A. (eds) Critical Systems Thinking. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-585-34651-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-585-34651-9_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-306-45451-6
Online ISBN: 978-0-585-34651-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive