Statecraft and soulcraft: Foucault on prolonging life

Abstract

This chapter presents a brief overview of the importance that prolongevism, the social movement based on the popular ideology that life can be prolonged more or less indefinitely by modern medical interventions, has taken in society by critically evaluating its objectives and its social and personal consequences. In developing this analysis we will primarily refer to the works of Michel Foucault and to other scholars who have applied his theory to the human body. Although Foucault's work has had a significant impact on sociology, including the sociology of health and illness, his relevance to the study of ageing and the life-extension project has yet to be fully explored.