Page "Michel Foucault" Paragraph 9

Although studying an array of subjects at the school, Foucault's particular interest was soon drawn to philosophy, reading not only the works of Hegel and Marx that he had been exposed to by Hyppolite but also studying the writings of the philosophers Immanuel Kant ( 1724 – 1804 ), Edmund Husserl ( 1859 – 1938 ) and most significantly, Martin Heidegger ( 1889 – 1976 ).

He also began to read the publications of philosopher Gaston Bachelard ( 1884 – 1962 ), taking a particular interest in his work exploring the history of science.

In 1948, the philosopher Louis Althusser ( 1918 – 1980 ) became a tutor at the École Normale Supérieure.

A Marxist, he proved to be an influence both on Foucault and a number of other students, encouraging them to join the French Communist Party ( Parti communiste français-PCF ), which Foucault duly did in 1950.

Despite this, he never became particularly active in any of its activities, and never adopted an orthodox Marxist viewpoint, refuting concepts such as class struggle which were central to Marxist thought.

He would soon become dissatisfied with the bigotry that he experienced within the party's ranks ; he personally faced homophobia and was also appalled by the anti-semitism exhibited in the Doctors ' plot that occurred in the Soviet Union.

He left the Communist Party in 1953, but would remain a friend and defender of Althusser for the rest of his life.

Although failing at the first attempt in 1950, he passed his agrégation in philosophy on the second try, in 1951.

Excused from national service on medical grounds, he decided that he wanted to go on and study for a doctorate at the Fondation Thiers, focusing in on the philosophy of psychology.