Recognition of Foucault's Concept of Power

The main objective of this paper looks at the Michel Foucault’s view about power and nature. Heidegger، Freud، Marx and Nietzsche in particular had a major impact on him. His own alternative methodological approaches in paleontology and genealogy، and with concepts of knowledge and understanding or the concept of discourse، had a very great impact on most areas of the range of thought and thinkers of his era. The main problem in genealogy is that how people by getting involved in network of power relations and knowledge، is formed as subject and object and paleontological method is either an historical analysis of systems of thought or speech. He believes that the power is not an exclusive or unilateral thing for a person، group or class. Foucault thinks that the power is not only in the hands of rulers and in their personal possession، but also is a relationship and network which distributes like nerves system in the society. The power has a software nature and it is not tangible and visible. Foucault believes that power is not necessarily apply violent means، but a lecture، cassettes، books، ideas and… can be sources of power. Reaching of this manifestations view of power in society which distributed at all levels of society، has an extraordinary power which no army dare not deal with it.