The Hermeneutics of the Subject: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1981–1982
The Hermeneutics of the Subject presents Michel Foucault’s 1981–1982 investigation into the ancient philosophical notion of care of the self (epimeleia heautou) and its complex relation to knowledge of the self, arguing that Western subjectivity has been historically formed through spiritual practices, exercises, and transformations rather than solely through cognitive self-awareness or juridical structures. Foucault tracks how, from Socrates and the Hellenistic schools to early Christianity and late antique thought, practices of self-care, truth-telling, and spiritual discipline gradually shift from an ethical, practical, and communal regime of subject-formation to a hermeneutics centered on deciphering inner truth, thereby offering an alternative genealogy of subjectivity that complicates modern understandings of autonomy, interiority, and confession.
At a Glance
- Author
- Michel Foucault
- Composed
- 1981–1982 (delivered as lectures at the Collège de France)
- Language
- French
- Status
- reconstructed
- •The primacy of care of the self (epimeleia heautou) in ancient philosophy: Foucault argues that, in classical and Hellenistic thought, philosophy is fundamentally a way of life organized around the practice of caring for oneself, involving exercises, disciplines, and modes of askēsis that transform the subject rather than merely providing theoretical doctrines.
- •Care of the self as condition for knowledge of the self: Foucault contends that for the ancients, knowing oneself (gnōthi seauton) is not an independent principle but is grounded in and conditioned by prior care of oneself; self-knowledge emerges out of spiritual practice, ethical work, and relations to others, not as an introspective given.
- •Transformation from spiritual practices to hermeneutics of the inner self: Foucault traces a historical shift from an ancient model in which access to truth requires spiritual transformation (conversion, exercises, disciplines) to a later Christian and modern model in which the subject is thought to contain an inner truth that must be deciphered, confessed, and interpreted through a hermeneutics of the self.
- •Parrēsia (frank speech) and truth-telling as ethical practice: Foucault develops the notion of parrēsia as the courageous practice of telling the truth to oneself and to others, especially within pedagogical and political relationships, arguing that such speech acts are central techniques of subject-formation and are inseparable from risk, courage, and care of the self.
- •Alternative genealogy of subjectivity against modern conceptions: Foucault challenges the modern notion of the subject as primarily defined by consciousness, juridical personhood, or self-transparent interiority, showing instead that subjectivity is historically produced through concrete practices, institutions, and spiritual exercises that bind truth to forms of life.
The Hermeneutics of the Subject has become a cornerstone for interpreting Foucault’s late work and for the broader study of ethics as a practice of self-formation. It significantly reshaped scholarship on ancient philosophy by emphasizing techniques of the self and spiritual exercises rather than doctrinal systems, helping to revive interest in figures like Seneca, Epictetus, and the Cynics as practitioners of an art of living. In Foucault studies, the course clarified the continuity between his earlier genealogies of power and his later analyses of ethics, showing that subjectivity is historically constituted through practices that bind care, truth, and power. The lectures have also had wide impact in fields such as gender and queer theory, pastoral and religious studies, critical pedagogy, and political theory, where they inform debates about autonomy, identity, governmentality, and the possibilities for self-transformation in modern societies.
1. Introduction
The Hermeneutics of the Subject presents Michel Foucault’s 1981–1982 Collège de France course, in which he reorients his work toward the history of subjectivity and ethics. Instead of treating the subject primarily as an effect of disciplinary power or juridical structures, the lectures explore how subjects are formed through spiritual and ethical practices, especially in Greco‑Roman and early Christian traditions.
The central focus is the ancient injunction epimeleia heautou (“care of the self”) and its relation to the more familiar maxim gnōthi seauton (“know yourself”). Foucault argues that, in much of ancient philosophy, caring for oneself is not a secondary recommendation but a fundamental principle that structures philosophical life, pedagogy, and access to truth.
The course is framed as a genealogical inquiry into how different historical “regimes of truth” have shaped ways of being a subject. It follows the emergence, transformation, and partial eclipse of practices of self-care, spiritual exercise, and truth‑telling, and it considers how these developments prefigure modern notions of interiority, confession, and self‑knowledge.
Within Foucault’s oeuvre, the lectures occupy a pivotal place: they link his earlier analyses of power and knowledge to his later interest in technologies of the self, ethics, and “the historical ontology of ourselves,” while leaving open contrasting interpretations of how far they mark a “turn” in his thought.
2. Historical Context and Intellectual Background
2.1 Position in Foucault’s Career
Delivered in 1981–1982, the lectures stand between Foucault’s work on governmentality (late 1970s) and his final investigations of ancient ethics. They follow courses on penal institutions and biopolitics and precede those on parrēsia and the Cynics. Scholars often see this period as a shift from primarily analyzing power/knowledge configurations to examining ethical self‑formation.
2.2 Intellectual and Institutional Setting
At the Collège de France, Foucault occupied the chair in History of Systems of Thought. The course responds to contemporary French debates about subjectivity, psychoanalysis, and structuralism. It also interacts with classical scholarship then revisiting philosophy as a “way of life” (e.g., work by Pierre Hadot, though the exact mutual influences remain debated).
2.3 Background in Foucault’s Earlier Work
Foucault extends his earlier analyses of confession, discipline, and pastoral power by reconstructing their ancient antecedents. The lectures elaborate themes announced in:
| Earlier Work | Relevant Emphasis |
|---|---|
| The History of Sexuality I (1976) | Confession, power/knowledge, pastoral techniques |
| 1978–79 lectures on governmentality | Art of governing others and oneself |
| Discipline and Punish (1975) | Formation of subjects through disciplinary techniques |
Commentators disagree on whether The Hermeneutics of the Subject represents a radical break with these projects or a deepening of a continuous inquiry into how subjects are historically produced.
3. Author and Composition of the Lectures
3.1 Foucault as Lecturer
As professor at the Collège de France, Foucault was required to deliver an annual public course. The Hermeneutics of the Subject consists of these weekly lectures, given from January to April 1982, in French, to a diverse audience of students, academics, and non‑specialist auditors. Contemporary accounts suggest that the sessions combined textual exegesis with broader historical and philosophical reflections.
3.2 Sources and Preparation
Foucault prepared the course from handwritten notes, reading dossiers, and outlines, citing and commenting on a wide range of ancient and early Christian texts (Plato, Epictetus, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Cassian, and others). He occasionally alludes to his ongoing research on sexuality and ethics, indicating that the lectures formed part of a larger, unfinished project on the history of subjectivation.
3.3 Reconstruction and Editorial Work
The published text is a reconstructed course:
| Component | Role in Edition |
|---|---|
| Audio recordings | Primary basis for transcription |
| Student notes | Fill gaps, clarify inaudible passages |
| Foucault’s manuscripts | Provide structure, references, headings |
Edited by Frédéric Gros under the general direction of François Ewald and Alessandro Fontana, the 2001 French critical edition standardizes Foucault’s oral delivery, adds footnotes, and marks editorial interpolations. The English translation by Graham Burchell (2005) aims to retain the lecture‑like character while making technical Greek and Latin terms accessible. Some scholars emphasize that, as a reconstructed oral course, the text may not reflect a fully stabilized doctrine and should be read with this compositional context in mind.
4. Structure and Organization of The Hermeneutics of the Subject
4.1 Chronological and Thematic Arc
The course is organized as a chronological traversal from classical Greek philosophy through Hellenistic and Roman schools to early Christianity, but Foucault arranges this history to serve a thematic question: how does care of the self relate to truth and subjectivity?
A simplified overview is:
| Approx. Lectures | Main Focus | Thematic Role |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 6–13, 1982 | Delphic maxims; introduction of epimeleia heautou | Establishing care of the self as prior to know yourself |
| Jan.–early Feb. | Plato, especially Alcibiades I | Socratic model of philosophical guidance and self‑care |
| Feb.–March | Stoic and Epicurean practices | Systematization of askēsis and techniques of the self |
| March–April | Early Christian spirituality | Emergence of a hermeneutics of inner truth and confession |
4.2 Internal Organization of Lectures
Each session typically moves from:
- Framing a historical or conceptual problem (e.g., the meaning of a maxim).
- Close reading of selected ancient passages.
- Analytical reconstruction of practices (exercises, institutions, forms of guidance).
Rather than chapters, the published volume preserves the session‑by‑session sequence, including digressions and clarifications. Editors have provided a running apparatus of notes, summaries, and an index of ancient sources, which many commentators treat as integral to navigating the work’s internal organization.
5. Central Arguments and Key Concepts
5.1 Primacy of Care of the Self
Foucault’s main thesis is that in much of Greco‑Roman philosophy, care of the self (epimeleia heautou) is the foundational imperative, while know yourself (gnōthi seauton) is derivative and conditional upon prior ethical and spiritual work. Self‑knowledge is presented as the outcome of practices that transform the subject, not as immediate introspection.
5.2 Technologies of the Self and Askēsis
The lectures describe an array of technologies of the self—practices by which individuals act upon themselves. Under the heading askēsis, Foucault groups exercises such as meditation on death, examination of conscience, writing notebooks (hypomnēmata), and disciplined use of pleasures. These techniques form an art of living aimed at mastering oneself and rendering oneself capable of truth.
5.3 Hermeneutics of the Subject
Foucault introduces “hermeneutics of the subject” to designate historical configurations in which the subject is supposed to harbor an inner truth (of desire, sin, or authenticity) that must be deciphered, interpreted, and confessed. He argues that early Christian practices intensify this hermeneutic orientation, reconfiguring earlier philosophical self‑care into a permanent labor of self‑decipherment.
5.4 Truth, Spirituality, and Parrēsia
A further argument concerns the linkage between access to truth and spiritual transformation. For many ancient thinkers, to know the truth requires a certain mode of being—achieved through self‑care and exercises. Within this framework, parrēsia (frank speech) appears as a key practice of truth‑telling that shapes both the speaker and the listener. Interpreters differ on whether Foucault treats parrēsia primarily as ethical, political, or epistemic, but most agree it is central to his revised account of subjectivity.
6. Famous Passages, Method, and Legacy
6.1 Well‑Known Analyses
Several passages of the course have become especially cited:
| Passage/Theme | Content |
|---|---|
| Delphic maxims | Reinterpretation of “know yourself” as grounded in “care for yourself” |
| Alcibiades I | Socrates guiding Alcibiades to recognize the need for self‑transformation before political action |
| Roman spiritual exercises | Detailed accounts of Stoic and Epicurean askēsis |
| Early Christian confession | Description of emerging practices of self‑examination and avowal |
Foucault’s reading of Alcibiades I—sometimes contested by classicists—has been particularly influential in rethinking ancient philosophy as a way of life.
6.2 Methodological Features
The lectures exemplify Foucault’s genealogical method: tracing discontinuous transformations rather than linear progress. They also use intensive textual exegesis of ancient sources, combined with an analysis of institutional practices (schools, pastoral structures, monastic communities). Commentators note his focus on practices and exercises, rather than on metaphysical doctrines, as a distinctive methodological choice.
6.3 Subsequent Influence
Passages from the course have informed debates on:
- The history of spiritual exercises (often read alongside Pierre Hadot).
- Technologies of the self and subjectivation in philosophy, gender and queer theory, and pedagogy.
- Re‑evaluations of Christianity’s role in shaping modern hermeneutics of interiority.
Some scholars argue that the course helped reframe the late Foucault as a thinker of ethics and self‑formation, while others caution against over‑systematizing what remains an exploratory, lecture‑based investigation.
7. Legacy and Historical Significance
After its posthumous publication (2001 in French; 2005 in English), The Hermeneutics of the Subject quickly became central to reassessing Foucault’s late philosophy. It is widely regarded as a key document for understanding how he links power, truth, and subjectivity through the notion of care of the self.
In the history of philosophy, the work contributed to a shift toward viewing ancient schools as practices of life rather than solely systems of doctrine. It has been influential in reviving interest in Stoic and Epicurean exercises, in re‑examining the Socratic figure, and in reassessing the transition from pagan philosophy to Christian spirituality.
Beyond philosophy, the lectures have shaped research in:
| Field | Impacted Themes |
|---|---|
| Religious studies | Genealogy of confession, pastoral power, and spiritual direction |
| Political theory | Relations between self‑care, governmentality, and citizenship |
| Gender and queer theory | Historicization of sexual subjectivity and practices of self‑fashioning |
| Education and pedagogy | Conceptions of formation, guidance, and truth‑telling in teaching |
Interpretive disputes focus on whether the course marks a “normative turn” to ethics, whether it underplays metaphysical and doctrinal dimensions of ancient thought, and how accurately it portrays Christian practices. Nonetheless, it is generally seen as historically significant for broadening Foucault’s project into a history of modes of subjectivation, offering a major reference point for contemporary discussions of autonomy, identity, and the ethics of self‑transformation.
How to Cite This Entry
Use these citation formats to reference this work entry in your academic work. Click the copy button to copy the citation to your clipboard.
Philopedia. (2025). the-hermeneutics-of-the-subject-lectures-at-the-college-de-france-19811982. Philopedia. https://philopedia.com/works/the-hermeneutics-of-the-subject-lectures-at-the-college-de-france-19811982/
"the-hermeneutics-of-the-subject-lectures-at-the-college-de-france-19811982." Philopedia, 2025, https://philopedia.com/works/the-hermeneutics-of-the-subject-lectures-at-the-college-de-france-19811982/.
Philopedia. "the-hermeneutics-of-the-subject-lectures-at-the-college-de-france-19811982." Philopedia. Accessed December 11, 2025. https://philopedia.com/works/the-hermeneutics-of-the-subject-lectures-at-the-college-de-france-19811982/.
@online{philopedia_the_hermeneutics_of_the_subject_lectures_at_the_college_de_france_19811982,
title = {the-hermeneutics-of-the-subject-lectures-at-the-college-de-france-19811982},
author = {Philopedia},
year = {2025},
url = {https://philopedia.com/works/the-hermeneutics-of-the-subject-lectures-at-the-college-de-france-19811982/},
urldate = {December 11, 2025}
}