Religion: History's very first panopticon. [View all]
This is just a little brainfart from a discussion I had with my roommate.
Long before there were cameras, before Jeremy Bentham designed the infamous Panopticon, and before Michel Foucault wrote Discipline and Punish, there was religion.
And what does virtually every religion have in common? The big man in the sky, or whatever deity is worshipped, is always, always, always watching you. Even though He or His brethren have an entire universe to manage, they take a personal interest in you, they always have an eye on you, and know when you're misbehaving.
God sits in the panopticon observation tower that is beyond Bentham's dreams - it follows you everywhere, and your imagination ensures you can't penetrate its blinds...
Why have a real panopticon when there's the imaginary panopticon in the sky threatening to punish you with hellfire after you die?
And people question the idea the religion is used to manipulate and control people...
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