BSSW 2A – SCIENCE & PHILOSOPHY (EC 2)

GROUP 8 – REPORTING
15 October 1926 - 25 June 1984
▪ Michel Foucault (1926–1984) was a French historian and
philosopher associated with the structuralist and post-
structuralist movements. He has had a strong influence not
only (or even primarily) in philosophy but also a wide range
of humanistic and social scientific disciplines.
▪ Foucault was born in Poitiers, France, on October 15, 1926.
As a student, he was brilliant but psychologically tormented.
He became academically established during the 1960s,
holding a series of positions at French universities, before
his election in 1969 to the ultra-prestigious Collège de
France, where he was Professor of the History of Systems of
Thought until his death. From the 1970s on, Foucault was
very active politically. He was a founder of the Groupe
d’information sur les prisons and often protested
marginalized groups. He frequently lectured outside France,
particularly in the United States, and in 1983 had agreed to
teach annually at the University of California at Berkeley. An
early victim of AIDS, Foucault died in Paris on June 25, 1984.
▪ In addition to works published during his lifetime, his
lectures at the Collège de France, published
posthumously, contain necessary elucidations and
extensions of his ideas.
▪ One might question whether Foucault is, in fact, a
philosopher. His academic formation was in
psychology and its history and philosophy, and his
books were primarily histories of medical and social
sciences; his passions were literary and political.
▪ Nonetheless, we can fruitfully read almost all of
Foucault's works as philosophical in either or both
ways: carrying out philosophy's traditional critical
project in a new (historical) manner and as a critical
engagement with the thought of conventional
philosophers.
Let's define its concept.
▪ In rhetoric, parrhesia is a figure of speech described as
"speak[ing] candidly or ... ask[ing] forgiveness for so
speaking". This Ancient Greek word has three different
forms, as related by Michel Foucault. Parrhesia is a noun
meaning "free speech." Parrhesiazomai is a verb
meaning "to use parrhesia." Parrhesiastes is a noun,
meaning one who uses parrhesia, for example, "one who
speaks the truth to power."
▪ The term parrhesia borrows from the Greek παρρησία
parrhēsía (πᾶν "all" and ῥῆσις "utterance, speech")
meaning literally "to speak everything" and by extension
"to speak freely," "to speak boldly," or "boldness." The
term first appears in Greek literature when used by
Euripides and may be found in ancient Greek texts from
the end of the fifth century B.C. until the fifth century A.D.
It implies freedom of speech and the obligation to speak
the truth for the common good, even at personal risk.
Concept of Philosopher Michel Foucault's Parrhesia
▪ Michel Foucault developed the concept of parrhesia as a
mode of discourse in which one speaks openly and
truthfully about one's opinions and
ideas without rhetoric, manipulation, or generalization.
This tells us that Foucault's use of parrhesia is troubled by ▪ Parrhesia means
our modern-day Cartesian model of evidential necessity. fearlessness or boldness
For Descartes, truth is the same as the undeniable. of speech.
Whatever can be a doubt must be, and, thus, speech that
is not examined or criticized does not necessarily have ▪ The concept of parrhesia
a valid relation to truth. focuses on the question
of, "Who among us has
▪ There are several conditions upon which the traditional
the right, duty, and
Ancient Greek notion of parrhesia relies. One who uses
courage to speak the
parrhesia recognizes as holding a credible relationship
to the truth if one serves as a critic to either oneself or truth?"
popular opinion or culture if the revelation of this truth ▪ Fundamentally, we all do.
places one in a position of danger. Nevertheless, one But, many do not
persists in speaking the truth as it is a moral, social, and concretely recognize this
political obligation. Further, in a public situation, a user of as one's right.
parrhesia must be in a social position less empowered
than those to whom this truth reveals.
▪ So you see, the parrhesiastes is someone who takes a risk. Of course, this risk is not always a risk of life.
When, for example, you see a friend doing something wrong, and you risk incurring his anger by telling
him he is incorrect, you are acting as a parrhesiastes. In such a case, you do not risk your life, but you
may hurt him by your remarks, and your friendship may consequently suffer for it. If in a political debate,
an orator risks losing his popularity because his opinions are contrary to the majority's opinion or
may usher in a political scandal, he uses parrhesia. Parrhesia, then, is linked to courage in the face of
danger: it demands the courage to speak the truth despite some threat. And in its extreme form, telling
the truth takes place in the "game" of life or death. And;
▪ To summarize the preceding, parrhesia is a kind of verbal activity where the speaker has a specific
relation to truth through frankness. It is a particular relationship to his own life through danger, a
particular type of relation to himself or other people through criticism (self-criticism or criticism of other
people), and a specific link to moral law through freedom and duty. More precisely, parrhesia is a verbal
activity in which a speaker expresses his relationship to truth and risks his life because he recognizes
truth-telling as a duty to improve or help other people (as well as himself). In parrhesia, the speaker
uses his freedom and chooses frankness instead of persuasion, truth instead of falsehood or silence,
the risk of death instead of life and security, criticism instead of flattery, and moral duty instead of self-
interest and moral apathy.
 The Parrhesiastes is the person who says
everything. Thus, as an example in his
discourse "On the Embassy,"
Demosthenes says: It is necessary to
Foucault (1984) speak with parrhesia, without holding
sums up that: back at anything, without concealing
anything. Similarly, in the "First Philippic,"
he takes up the same term and says: I will
tell you what I think without covering
anything.
Considering the concept in connection with Social Work
 To speak out for people not empowered to speak for
themselves binds by the duty of Social Workers. If you
do not have the right to free speech, you cannot
exercise any power. Without parrhesia, you cannot
oppose the power structure. Without parrhesia, the
concept of justice, equality, and empowerment remains
just those concepts – and lack concrete application in
the real world. How can social work be practical if

SOCIAL
people cannot exercise their right to free speech?

WORK Therefore, we, the Social Workers, have a

responsibility to educate oppressed people in the
action of parrhesia. From this position, Social Work
regards as education, and education becomes power.
So, education is our tool to achieve this goal of moving
positive forces of justice and equality forward. We do
not "tell" a client what to do. Instead, we inform,
empower, and educate. But empowering is hard work.
Although the intention is good, the process of
empowerment often fails due to being a long-term
process.
 Empowerment is central to Social Work. Social Workers strive to empower
individuals to overcome personal challenges such as substance abuse or
eating disorders, personal or family illness, and the emotional trauma
resulting from divorce, any abuse, or the death of a loved one. However,
Social Work does not focus exclusively on individuals. It also aims to
empower groups and communities, particularly those with histories of
oppression and marginalization.

Practical Guide Here are some practical guides as to how to empower and promote social
justice:

as to How to ▪ Social work can—and should—involve advocating for policies that

promote greater social justice and equity.

Empower and ▪ Social workers should use various practice methods and theories that
promote self-development and awareness and help people address the
oppressive forces that block them from thriving.
Promote Social ▪ They should apply the Empowerment theory of Social Work, which
involves using intervention methods to guide people toward achieving

Justice: a sense of control.

▪ They shall center on helping marginalized people at individual, group,
and community levels gain the personal, interpersonal and political
power to improve their lives.
▪ Social workers must seek to challenge systems that prevent or hinder
people from having their needs met.
▪ Malpas, J., “Donald Davidson”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter
2012 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
<https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2012/entries/davidson/>.
▪ Gutting, Gary and Johanna Oksala, "Michel Foucault", The Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy (Summer 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
<https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2021/entries/foucault/>.
▪ Wikipedia contributors. (2021, September 22). Parrhesia. In Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:25, October 23, 2021,
from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Parrhesia&oldid=1045718990
▪ School of Social Work (2021). Empowerment theory in social work. Virginia
Commonwealth University. URL
= https://onlinesocialwork.vcu.edu/blog/empowerment-theory-in-social-work/#
Group 8:
Denapo, Glyceryl G.
Denapo, Jera Mae C.
Dolorican, Carien G.
Dorig, Janessa I.