As we discussed Foucault's reading in class the other day, I could not seem to forget a certain exercise Doc Rog made us do in class one day. In retrospect, it appears as a fairly simple activity until we truly examine our reasoning behind it. He told us to stand, and we stood. However, why did we stand? Was it because he represented some sort of repressive authority or did it begin as purely ideological (i.e. stand for our elders)? Foucault asks us these very same questions as he examines such authoritarian structures as the Panopticon.
Another similarity we could tie to the functionality of the Panopticon is our very own honor code. Do we refuse to cheat because the honor code hovers over us, making us think it is watching when it is not? Or do we refuse to cheat because we have been raised with the ideals of "honor" and "responsibility"? Just like the Panopticon, as we write our honor code down at the end of the day we are not sure if the windows are open, or closed. Therefore, is all ideology necessarily a bad thing? Or does it allow morals to be instilled upon us? And for those without similar morals, does the repressive state serve to mold them into this ideology? These are all pertinent questions that Foucault's reading brings to light.
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