The pierced-blind design lets the inspector see all inmates without any inmate seeing him
Evidence
The ways in which this view might be opened are more than one: the simplest is to put two rows of panes; one for giving a view of the two lowermost stories of cells, a little below the highest part of the upright partition: the other for the four remaining stories, in the chord subtending the angle made by the junction of that partition with the ceiling. To these may be adapted blinds of coarse white muslin or linen, pierced every inch or two with eyelet holes about the size of an ordinary silver spangle. By this means, matters may unquestionably be ordered in some way or other, so that no view at all shall be obtainable in the cells of any thing that passes in the lodge; at the same time that a person in the lodge may, by applying his eye close to any of the holes, obtain a perfectly distinct view of the corresponding cells. — Jeremy Bentham, The Panopticon Writings, 313
Categorization
- XREF: The exact perceptual asymmetry Foucault identifies at the heart of the panopticon, which Oceania’s telescreen extends from architecture into domestic space. — connects to: The inspector’s hiddenness is engineered so prisoners never know if they are watched. — Jeremy Bentham, The Panopticon Writings, 110; Invisible inspection can awe prisoners to silence without any physical restraint — Jeremy Bentham, The Panopticon Writings, 288; Unseen visitors leave prisoners without fear of exposure — Jeremy Bentham, The Panopticon Writings, 682
Related
- The inspector’s hiddenness is engineered so prisoners never know if they are watched. (similarity 0.94)
- Invisible inspection can awe prisoners to silence without any physical restraint (similarity 0.87)
- Unseen visitors leave prisoners without fear of exposure (similarity 0.86)
- Unlocatable individual addressing makes all prisoners assume they are watched (similarity 0.83)
- An opaque dummy object substitutes for the inspector in the lantern undetected (similarity 0.83)
- Centralized visibility defeats prisoners’ ability to prepare staged appearances (similarity 0.82)
- The inspector’s invisibility is practically achievable despite incompatible ideal conditions (similarity 0.81)
- Constant visibility captures subjects better than darkness and enclosure ever did (similarity 0.81)
- Visibility and invisibility must be balanced for surveillance to function (similarity 0.81)
- Panoptic power derives from invisible omnipresence rather than real presence (similarity 0.81)
- Even imperfect invisibility can sustain the illusion of constant surveillance (similarity 0.80)
- Visible visitors in the central tower create avenues for conspiratorial signaling (similarity 0.79)
Broader Connections
- Invisible inspection can awe prisoners to silence without any physical restraint
#expands(0.85) — Jeremy Bentham, The Panopticon Writings, 288 - Unseen visitors leave prisoners without fear of exposure
#expands(0.82) — Jeremy Bentham, The Panopticon Writings, 682