Th 4/4 Interview – “On the Genealogy of Ethics”

Topics: Ethics, normalization, and self-mastery

1. Commentators sometimes claim that Foucault is posing Greek sexual ethics as an alternative to Christian sexual ethics. What stance does he take toward the ancient Greeks and what are his reasons for doing so?

2. Foucault rejects the claim that the ancient Greeks’ sexual ethics were tolerant while the Christians are austere. In his view, what is continuous between these two traditions and what elements change?

3. Foucault contrasts an aesthetics of existence with a juridical model of ethics. What are the main differences? Though this sounds similar to Sartre, how does Foucault distinguish his view?