The Masked Philosopher
Abstract
Between 1979 and 1984 the newspaper Le Monde published a weekly series of interviews with leading European intellectuals. On April 6–7, 1980 an interview between Christian Delacampagne and Michel Foucault was published in which the latter opted for the mask of anonymity—the philosopher declined to reveal his name—in order to demystify the power society ascribes to the “name” of the intellectual. Foucault sets out to liberate the consumer of culture from a critical discourse that is overdetermined by the characters that dominate our perceptions. This interview was reprinted in Entretiens avec Le Monde, I , Philosophies (Paris: La Découverte, 1984), 21–30. The translation is by Alan Sheridan.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Critical Theory and Philosophy
Law in Society and Culture
Hannah Arendt's Political Philosophy
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Politics, Philosophy, Culture
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Pages
- 340–348
- Publication date
- 2 September 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter