Liberalizm a biopolityka — pomiędzy dyskursem wolności i bezpieczeństwa
Liberalism and Biopolitics — Between the Discourse of Freedom and Security

Summary/Abstract: The article covers the relations between liberalism and bipolitics in the light of Michel Foucault’s thought. The French author conceptualises liberalism and biopolitics as strategies of power and governmental rationalities related to population and individuals. Liberalism, using the discourse of freedom, makes freedom a condition for governing „the society of individuals”. Biopower with its discourse of security focuses on strengthening the state but also vitality of individuals and the whole population. The text comprises the analysis of three main relations between both governmental rationalities. Firstly, liberal freedoms are possible under the condition of the existence of a stable state with its biopolitical‑militaryapparatus of security. Secondly, when there is a conflict between security and freedom (it was presented a brief analysis of media discourse related to the ebola epidemic and the refugee crisis) liberalism becomes a critique of the negative biopolitics by advocating individual rights and „strangers”. Thirdly, both biopolitics and (neo)liberalism can be understood as governmental strategies focusing on ruling the society with a view to consolidate a dominant political and economic system. Liberal individualisation of humans turns out to be a modern form of a soft subjugation, whereas biopolitics supports the free market and biocapitalism.

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