The definition of a panopticon referring to a building means that it has been built in such a way that the entire interior can be seen from a single point.
The type of architecture that creates buildings with these characteristics is known as panopticon architecture.
Its origin stems from a design by Jeremy Bentham made at the end of the 18th century, who devised a prison that would allow not only the simultaneous observation of all inmates by a guard located in a central tower, but also the creation of a feeling of permanent observation, regardless of whether it was taking place or not.
While the guard could see the interior of the cells, the arrangement of the cells, usually placed against the light, and the use of blinds, prevented the prisoners from knowing if such surveillance was taking place at that precise moment.
The panopticon is, therefore, a structure designed to facilitate control, and, consequently, a tool of power. This conscious state of permanent visibility is the tool that guarantees the operation of power automatically.
The panopticon as a metaphor for today's society
Today's society is based on a system very similar to the philosophy that inspires the Panopticon. The state tries to maintain permanent control over the individuals that compose it, so that all comply with the established norms and obligations. But such actual control is expensive and impractical, since it requires a huge expenditure of resources.
Therefore, similar to what happens in the panopticon, the feeling of “permanent observation” is played with as a control tool that allows citizens to comply with the fiscal obligations and the established rules of coexistence. In other words, the machinery of the state is a kind of panopticon, which has the means to control the population, and exposes them to them so that they are aware that they can be monitored at any time.
Aware of this fact, the members of society act diligently for the most part in fear of being discovered if they do not comply with the rules, without really the organs of power of society having to carry out effective surveillance. This allows society to remain under control without having to make the enormous expense and effort that would be involved in monitoring each of its members one by one.
Photos: iStock - rha2503 / photosis75
