ABSTRACT:
This article aims to discuss, on a preliminary basis, the "anthropological question" in the context of Michel Foucault's "archeological" texts. The paper starts with some popular assertions and postulates regarding "man" in the human sciences (his privileged character and objectivity), based on historical examples in the history of psychology. Secondly, the article correlates these postulates with Foucauldian texts published in the 1950s (the introduction to Dream and Existence, and Maladie Mentale et Personnalité), each one providing a singular project for an anthropological view. Finally, it is shown how the "archaeological" texts can be read as initial responses to the questions formulated in 1954 and 1957. The analysis concentrates on Madness and Civilization and The Order of Things, exploring the differences of each argument and discussing how each book contemplates the general question of an archaeological criticism of the anthropological problem.
KEYWORDS:
Michel Foucault; human sciences; archeology; modern thought; contemporary philosophy; psychology