what is panoptican?
A panoptican (or panopticon as it is typically spelled)
is a prison space constructed as a circular array of inward-
pointing cells. At the center of the ring of cells is an
observation tower with special shutters to prevent the prisoners
from seeing the guards. The idea of a panoptican originated
in the mind of Jeremy Bentham, the famous utilitarian
philosopher. Michel Foucault, another famous philosopher,
used the idea of the panoptican as a metaphor for the
technological state. It was his belief that the central
premise of a panoptican (that being a prison that allows
seeing without being seen) is prevalent in our society.
Anyway, aside from that, it's a really neat sounding
word. That's what's important.
Wikipedia
is also helpful.
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