Biopolitics
Encyclopedia
The term "biopolitics" or "biopolitical" can refer to several different yet often compatible concepts.
by Lynton Caldwell in 1964. As a field of the academic discipline of political science, biopolitics is also known as "politics
and the life sciences
". The Association for Politics and the Life Sciences
was formed in 1981 and exists to study the field of biopolitics as a subfield of political science. APLS owns and publishes an academic peer-reviewed journal called Politics and the Life Sciences (PLS). The journal is edited in the United States
at the University of Maryland, College Park
’s School of Public Policy, in Maryland
.
By the late 1990s and since, biopolitics research has expanded rapidly, especially in the areas of evolutionary theory, genetics
, and neuroscience
. These researchers start from the premise that humans are by nature "political animals," meaning that many of the behaviors that appear distinctly political - such as status rivalry, leadership, and coalitional positioning - can be better understood by investigating the role of human biology in shaping such behavior. From this perspective, researchers may ask many questions regarding the biological bases of political phenomena, such as: To what extent are political attitudes heritable? Do Republicans
and Democrats
display different patterns of brain activation when facing a political decision? How has the evolutionary history of human coalitional aggression shaped the way people think about warfare today?
This research has become increasingly prominent in general science academic journals, as well as in the popular press. Topics addressed in political science from these perspectives include: public opinion and criminal justice attitudes, political ideology, voting behavior, and warfare. Nevertheless, debates persist inside the field and out, regarding genetic and biological determinism. Important recent surveys of leading research in biopolitics have been published in the journals Political Psychology and Science.
, Claremont Graduate University
, Harvard, University of King's College
, London School of Economics
, Northern Illinois University
, University of California - San Diego, University of California, Santa Barbara
, the University of Iowa, University of Nebraska, and University of Oregon
. See external links below for specific research centers.
Definitions
- In the work of Michel FoucaultMichel FoucaultMichel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
, the style of governmentGovernmentGovernment refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
that regulates populationPopulationA population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
s through "biopowerBiopowerBiopower was a term coined by French Social theorist and philosopher Michel Foucault it refers to the practice of modern states and their regulation of their subjects through "an explosion of numerous and diverse techniques for achieving the subjugations of bodies and the control of populations." ...
" (the application and impact of political powerPolitical powerPolitical power is a type of power held by a group in a society which allows administration of some or all of public resources, including labour, and wealth. There are many ways to obtain possession of such power. At the nation-state level political legitimacy for political power is held by the...
on all aspects of human lifeLifeLife is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
). - In the works of Michael HardtMichael HardtMichael Hardt is an American literary theorist and political philosopher perhaps best known for Empire, written with Antonio Negri and published in 2000...
and Antonio NegriAntonio NegriAntonio Negri is an Italian Marxist sociologist and political philosopher.Negri is best-known for his co-authorship of Empire, and secondarily for his work on Spinoza. Born in Padua, he became a political philosophy professor in his hometown university...
, anti-capitalistAnti-capitalismAnti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements, ideas, and attitudes which oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists, in the strict sense of the word, are those who wish to completely replace capitalism with another system....
insurrection using life and the body as weapons; examples include flight from power and, 'in its most tragic and revolting form', suicide terrorism. Conceptualised as the opposite of biopower, which is seen as the practice of sovereignty in biopolitical conditions. - The political application of bioethicsBioethicsBioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
. - A political spectrumPolitical spectrumA political spectrum is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolizing independent political dimensions....
that reflects positions towards the sociopolitical consequences of the biotech revolution. - Political advocacyAdvocacyAdvocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
in support of, or in opposition to, some applications of biotechnology. - Public policiesPublic policyPublic policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
regarding some applications of biotechnology. - Political advocacy concerned with the welfareQuality of lifeThe term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
of all forms of lifeBiocentrism (ethics)Biocentrism , in a political and ecological sense, is an ethical point of view which extends inherent value to non-human species, ecosystems, and processes in nature - regardless of their sentience...
and how they are moved by one another. - The politics of bioregionalismBioregionalismBioregionalism is a political, cultural, and environmental system or set of views based on naturally defined areas called bioregions, similar to ecoregions. Bioregions are defined through physical and environmental features, including watershed boundaries and soil and terrain characteristics...
History
Biopolitics refers to the application of theories and methods from the life sciences toward the scientific understanding of political behavior. The term “biopolitics” was first used in political sciencePolitical science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
by Lynton Caldwell in 1964. As a field of the academic discipline of political science, biopolitics is also known as "politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and the life sciences
Life sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
". The Association for Politics and the Life Sciences
Association for Politics and the Life Sciences
The Association for Politics and the Life Sciences was formed in 1981 and exists to study the field of biopolitics as a subfield of political science. APLS owns and publishes an academic peer-reviewed journal, called Politics and the Life Sciences , semi-annually in March and September...
was formed in 1981 and exists to study the field of biopolitics as a subfield of political science. APLS owns and publishes an academic peer-reviewed journal called Politics and the Life Sciences (PLS). The journal is edited in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
’s School of Public Policy, in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
By the late 1990s and since, biopolitics research has expanded rapidly, especially in the areas of evolutionary theory, genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, and neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
. These researchers start from the premise that humans are by nature "political animals," meaning that many of the behaviors that appear distinctly political - such as status rivalry, leadership, and coalitional positioning - can be better understood by investigating the role of human biology in shaping such behavior. From this perspective, researchers may ask many questions regarding the biological bases of political phenomena, such as: To what extent are political attitudes heritable? Do Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
display different patterns of brain activation when facing a political decision? How has the evolutionary history of human coalitional aggression shaped the way people think about warfare today?
This research has become increasingly prominent in general science academic journals, as well as in the popular press. Topics addressed in political science from these perspectives include: public opinion and criminal justice attitudes, political ideology, voting behavior, and warfare. Nevertheless, debates persist inside the field and out, regarding genetic and biological determinism. Important recent surveys of leading research in biopolitics have been published in the journals Political Psychology and Science.
Institutional research
Many universities and political science departments now offer courses, emphases, or full programs in this area. For example, research in biopolitics is conducted at universities across the world, including Aarhus University, Brown UniversityBrown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University is a private, all-graduate research university located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...
, Harvard, University of King's College
University of King's College
The University of King's College is a post-secondary institution in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. King's is a small liberal arts university offering mainly undergraduate programs....
, London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
, University of California - San Diego, University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, the University of Iowa, University of Nebraska, and University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
. See external links below for specific research centers.
External links
- Aarhus University
- Brown University
- Center for Evolutionary Psychology
- Claremont Graduate University
- Harvard
- University of King's College
- London School of Economics
- Northern Illinois University
- University of California, San Diego
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- University of Iowa
- University of Nebraska
- University of Oregon
- Praktyka Teoretyczna nr 2-3/2011 "Biopolityka"