Asks Quote by Michel Foucault
“... we are obliged to produce the truth by the power that demands truth and needs it in order to function: we are constrained, we are condemned to admit the truth or to discover it. Power constantly asks questions and questions us; it constantly investigates and records; it institutionalizes the search for the truth, professionalizes it, and rewards it. ... In a different sense, we are also subject to the truth in the sense that truth lays down the law: it is the discourse of truth that decides, at least in part; it conveys and propels effects of power.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Discipline and Punish, 1975
Power forces us to confront truth, making truth a tool of authority and a constraint.
In simple terms: Power demands truth, shaping and limiting us.
Key Takeaway
Recognize truth’s political role.
Themes
power
truth
knowledge
institution
control
philosophy
Mood
critical
inquisitive
Type
theoretical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- legal judgments
- academic research
- media reporting
- public policy
Key Concepts
discourse analysis
surveillance
governmentality
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- Who decides what is true?
- Can truth be truly objective?
A Different Perspective
Truth can be manipulated to serve power.
![“[L]et us say that we are obliged to produce the truth by the power that demands truth and needs it in order to function: we are forced to tell the truth, we are constrained, we are condemned to admit the truth or to discover it.” quote by Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/82d/michel-foucault-1134_demand_l-et-us-say-that-we-are-obliged-to-produ_1585997.jpg)
