The Logical Changes Of Foucault’s Thought On State Governance

Foucault starts from the three periods of governanceism,liberalism and neoliberalism,and makes a genealogical analysis of the history of governance in Western countries.From the perspective of micro-politics,he vividly shows the application mode and practical results of power in the field of state governance,and sorts out the development path of the governance logic of different types of countries in different historical periods,as well as the basis for the rationality of governance.Summarize governance forms in historical space.From the "shepherd" in Hebrew society to the active "economic man" in the neoliberal period,Foucault’s thought on state governance reveals that the development of Western state governance is along the lines of "pastoral governance","state rationality",Governance logic changes from "governance rationality" to "biopolitics".Foucault believed that the governance of the state derives from pastoral power.After the pastoral power was introduced into Western society by Christianity,a pastoral system spread throughout the Christian society was further formed.Around the 16 th century,the pastoral system encountered an unprecedented crisis,but the system also extended into the economic and political fields and became a governance practice based on the principle of "state rationality".However,with the country’s further governance needs for life protection and population security,the "governance rationality" spawned by liberalism shoulders a function of adjusting and reflecting on "national rationality".Governance practice generates new governance logic under the impetus of new governance principles,and gradually absorbs and transforms liberal economic theory into a rationality criterion for guiding governance skills.The opening of liberal governance practices means the emergence of a politically dominant logic around the protection of life.In Foucault’s eyes,contemporary biopolitics is a governance technique that simultaneously "makes it alive" and "makes it die" : biopolitics needs to ensure the quality of life of citizens within a country,and various methods of monitoring and controlling individual lives are required.Although this effectively improves governance efficiency,it also creates a strict control system for individuals.By analyzing the research value,research methods and research perspectives of Foucault’s thought on state governance,it is affirmed that it provides a new perspective for studying the history of Western governance and provides rich ideological resources for criticizing contemporary capitalist governance.At the same time,it is also necessary to clarify Its existing research methods are fragmented,the research perspective is limited,and the internal logic is flawed.