Analysis of How Odysseus Uses Technologies of the Self to Acquire Wisdom
In the essay, “Technologies of the Self” by Michel Foucault, technologies of the self are divided into four categories which Foucault refers to as a “matrix of practical reason”. These four systems are technologies of production, which in brief, concerns itself with production, transformation, or manipulation of things; technologies of sign systems which encompasses various forms of communication including signs or symbols; technologies of power concerned with domination or submission to certain ends; and technologies of the self concerned with the transformation of oneself to attain some means, including some that Foucault highlights: “happiness, purity, wisdom, perfection, or immortality. ” Concerned most with the last technology: technologies of the self as they were practiced in the Greco Roman philosophy in the early Roman Empire and the Christian spirituality that developed in the late Roman Empire, Foucault remarks the precept “take care of yourself” is the now obscured, root origin for the moral principle “Know Yourself”. While the act of taking care of oneself is practiced differently amongst the two philosophies, Foucault comes to the conclusion that taking care of oneself is a deliberate and practical act that must be carried out “in order to help every member of the group with the common task of salvation”. Using Foucault’s definition of technologies of the self, I argue that Oddyseus from “The Odyssey '' by Homer, relies on the technologies of the self to return to his homeland of Ithaca and reunite with his wife Penelope. By telling the story of his wanderings, agreeing to be tied to the mast of the ship when journeying through the Sirens, and practicing prudence when disguised as an old beggar are examples of Odysseus taking care of himself, and only as a consequence of doing so, does Odysseus achieve wisdom.
Firstly, Odysseus tells the epic of his journey to the Phaeacians at the feast which is an example of caring for oneself in a similar manner discussed by Foucault. Odysseus, in telling of his wanderings, pays attention to “nuances of life”, mood, and the self. By “examination of the self and conscience, including a review of what was done” Odysseus practices caring for himself similar to the letter written by Marcus Aurelius to Fronto detailing his daily life. It is also an example of a Stoic technique for practicing care of the self, known as askesis, which is “not a disclosure of the secret self but a remembering.”
Secondly, to the Phaeacians, Odysseus recounts another great example of him exercising care of himself. Upon Circe’s suggestion, Odysseus volunteers himself to be bound “by hand and foot, upright against the mast block” (Homer, 117) as he and his crew were traveling through the sirens. Foucault, in his definition of technologies of the self, mentions that individuals can perform the act of taking care of themselves “by their own means, or with the help of others”, and in The Odyssey, Odysseus relies heavily on the help of others – including Circe and Athena. In Book XII, Circe warns Odysseus to cover his ears and the ears of his crewmates as they journey through the sirens to prevent them from falling under the sirens’ spell. However, knowing Odysseus’ nature, Circe suggests Odysseus be tied to the mast with his ears covered, so that he would not fall victim to his own curiosity, thus demonstrating the relationship between taking care of himself, and knowing his own nature.
Finally, Odysseus reaches Ithaca, and while Tiresias’ warning heeds true as Odysseus returns home “a broken man – all shipmates lost” (Homer, 130), Odysseus learns the importance of the virtue of prudence. Prudence is the quality of using reason to discipline oneself, through which, Odysseus manages to restrain his anger when the goatherd Melanthius, or the suitor Antinous lash out at him. By practicing prudence, Odysseus is practicing care of the self and performing askesis. Odysseus, by demonstrating prudence, has “mastery over [himself] … through the acquisition and assimilation of truth” (Foucault, pg. 238).
References
Amherst : University of Massachusetts Press. (1988, January 1). Technologies of the self : A seminar with Michel Foucault : Free Download, borrow, and streaming. Internet Archive. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://archive.org/details/technologiesofse0000unse
Homer. (1919). The Odyssey. London : New York :W. Heinemann; G.P. Putnam's sons,