The original '''panopticon''' was a circular prison conceived by British philosopher [[Jeremy Bentham]] in 1787, designed so that central guards could view inmates at all time<ref>http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Bentham-Project/info/panopticonhtm.htm</ref>.
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The original '''panopticon''' was a circular [[prison]] conceived by British philosopher [[Jeremy Bentham]] in 1787, designed so that central guards could view inmates at all times<ref>http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Bentham-Project/info/panopticonhtm.htm</ref>.
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The name "panopticon" was also given to an invention that enabled views to see multiple images, such as scenic pictures, through a single opening.
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The name "panopticon" was also given to an invention that enabled viewers to see multiple images, such as scenic pictures, through a single opening.
Panoptic today means providing a panoramic view.
Panoptic today means providing a panoramic view.
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The philospher [[Michel Foucault]] also applied the term to explain how societies influence an individuals actions even when that individual knows that their actions are private and undectectable. In short, according to Foucault, people internalize, or become acustomed to, the idea that they are always being watched by a moral force and so behave morally even in the abscence of an observer.
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The philospher [[Michel Foucault]] also used the term to explain how society influences an individual's actions, even when that individual knows that their actions are private and undectectable. In short, according to Foucault, people internalize, or become acustomed to, the idea that they are always being watched by a moral force (such as [[God]]) and so behave morally even in the absence of an observer.