Meghan ByersProfessor KoontzENGWR 30April 29, 2014Analysis of modernity and aufklärung in Foucault What is critique« What is critical ? by Michel Foucault contains explanations of why we are governed the way we are, the accompanying desire not to be governed as much or at all, and ultimately to be governed not because we are. want but because we consider the consequences of contrary action and decide not to rebel against authority. (In “What is Critique?” Foucault refers to the French people when he means “we,” but his essay is often relevant and extended to the entire world and Western culture.) Foucault defines being governed as “a certain way of thinking”. , speak and act, a certain relationship to what exists, to what we know, to what we do, a relationship to society, to culture and also a relationship to others" and he affirms that there has a critical attitude of this which emerges from rebellion to the way we are governed and it exists indefinitely and in perpetuity (42). In simpler terms, the critical attitude exists alongside our way of being governed and the critical attitude depends as much on our way of being governed as our way of being governed depends as much on the critical attitude. This critical attitude appears as a reaction to "modernity", also known as a dominant attitude born from the Age of Enlightenment to the post-dark era. Additionally, he sees much of who we are or have become as something that has been governed within us (and he also alludes to a dichotomy of power and knowledge that he discusses later). Foucault argues that this is the basis of the critical attitude and he asserts that the main aim of his essay is to define criticism, to provoke in the middle of the article ......lidded or simply rational or simply generally accepted” (61). This argues that something known by someone cannot be considered knowledge if it does not follow the conventions of knowledge of the time, of those in power, or if the thing known does not compel people to to believe it, it cannot be considered knowledge at the same time. all. This highlights the fact that all knowledge is subjective depending on a time, a power, a person or a place. Foucault expresses, once again, that this is not necessarily troubling because "nothing can function as a mechanism of power if it is not deployed according to procedures, instruments, means and objectives" and this means that any Knowledge would have no meaning if it did not have meaning. power. Knowledge must have the power to exist, in the same way that criticism must exist with our current means of governing for governance and criticism to exist..