Orden, tingen

Abstract

Words, things

This article explores the concepts of language and discourse as these terms appear in Michel Foucault’s early work, and relates these concepts to contemporary theological discussions of knowledge. Further, it describes how Foucault’s discursive approach to knowledge emerges out of his notion of language – which, in turn, is inspired by authors including Jorge Luis Borges, Georges Bataille and Maurice Blanchot. It illustrates how Foucault’s conception of language approaches a material account that problematizes the notion of words as things, and how this trait is intensified in the transition from the concept of language to the concept of discourse in his work. Finally, the article reflects upon the theological implications of Foucault’s discursive approach to knowledge as it appears in his analysis of Gustave Flaubert. The theological reflection is performed in dialogue with contemporary theology, here represented by John D. Caputo, Daniel Colucciello Barber and Jeffrey Robbins.