The hallways of philosophy departments and common rooms at American universities are experiencing something genuinely bizarre. Michel Foucault was put on a trading card by someone. They provided him with statistics. And a surprisingly high proportion of highly educated individuals are unable to stop discussing it.
The card, which is a part of a larger series that explains Foucault’s complex 1966 text The Order of Things, appeared through a YouTube video that managed to get past the algorithm and reach the ideal audience. It quickly spread to academic Reddit threads, Hacker News, and the kind of Twitter accounts that post about epistemic systems at midnight. According to reports, the card’s stat line measures “epistemic disruption” and “power over discourse.” It almost doesn’t matter if those figures have any significance.
It’s intriguing to see who reacted and how strongly. This was embraced with an almost defensive fervor by the American academic nerd, a distinct species from the general tech enthusiast. These individuals spent years defending their fascination with Foucault to employers, roommates, and parents. A format that stated, “This thinker has measurable power,” appeared out of nowhere. He is rated. In a direct confrontation, he could theoretically defeat Descartes.
It’s difficult to ignore the fact that legitimacy plays a major role in the appeal. Critical theory, philosophy, and sociology have all endured decades of ridicule from tech culture, the sciences, and anyone who has ever uttered the words “but what does it actually do.” In a subtle but satisfying way, the trading card reverses that dynamic. It applies the language of statistics, rankings, and quantification to individuals whose entire project was challenging that way of thinking. It contains an irony that Foucault may have recognized.
The video was followed by a Hacker News thread that tells its own tale. The question of why sociology is taken seriously at all was raised right away. Fairly, someone else noted that this frustration was a sort of Foucauldian issue in and of itself, with disciplines enforcing their own boundaries and each asserting that the other’s approaches are invalid. The argument continued despite its predictable spirals. numerous responses. late at night.
When the theoretical weight is removed, the card format accomplishes something that textbooks seldom do. The comparison becomes apparent. It compels one to decide who is more important and why. Most undergraduate seminars avoid that question for the entire semester. In roughly four seconds, a trading card asks.
It’s unclear if this means that more people will read The Order of Things. If history is any indication, most likely not. However, there’s a good chance that this is the starting point for a nineteen-year-old who grew up watching YouTube explainers and trading Pokémon cards. That is not insignificant.
Finding communities in unlikely places has always been a skill of the American academic nerd. game nights where Baudrillard is explained. Political philosophy Discord servers. In an effort to make the life of the mind feel less lonely and, to be honest, a little more enjoyable, the trading card seems like a logical continuation of that. Foucault wrote about how our perception of what constitutes serious knowledge is shaped by power. He most likely had no idea that his face would eventually appear on a collectible card. However, here we are.
