The formation of subjectivity as a work of art in Foucault's philosophy

Foucault who studies individual's development within the relations of the subject and the power using earlier archeological and genealogical methods, later focuses on ethics. According to Foucault who defines ethics as "a relation of the subject to itself", people can develop themselves as moral individuals. "Practices of the self" or as he calls it "ethic practices" are closely related to subjectivity which is one of the three self formations of the subject who can not be independent from the power. Subjectivity helps the individual to become a subject. These subjectivity techniques Foucault later conceptualizes as "technologies of the self" has a significant place in subject's self formation. According to Foucault who bases his thoughts on the study of Ancient Greek and Ancient Rome societies' practices of ethics, "knowing thyself" and "the care of the self" which was the fundamental principle of ethics in Ancient Greek was also in an inseparable relation with "being free" and "the art of living". For Foucault who asks that "Why is a painting or a house an art work but not our own lives?" using technologies of the self, a number of subjectivity techniques, an individual can shape his own life and thus he can form the subjectivity to make his life into an art work. Keywords: Foucault, Ethics of Self, Subjectivity, Power, Art of Life