What is "panopticon"

Panopticon \Pa*nop"ti*con\, n. [NL. See Pan-, and Optic.]

1. A prison so contructed that the inspector can see each of the prisoners at all times, without being seen.

2. A room for the exhibition of novelties.

1768, a type of optical instrument or telescope, from Greek pan "all" (see pan-) + optikon, neuter of optikos "of or for sight" (see optic). Later the name of a type of prison designed by Bentham (1791) in which wardens had a constant view of all inmates, and "a showroom" (1850).

n. 1 A type of prison designed by philosopher Jeremy Bentham wherein all the cells are visible from the center of the building. It engenders the feeling that someone is watching you, even though you know the contrary. 2 A room for the exhibition of novelties.

1. n. an area where everything is visible

2. a circular prison with cells distributed around a central surveillance station; proposed by Jeremy Bentham in 1791

The Panopticon is a type of institutional building designed by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century. The concept of the design is to allow all (pan-) inmates of an institution to be observed (-opticon) by a single watchman without the inmates being able to tell whether or not they are being watched. Although it is physically impossible for the single watchman to observe all cells at once, the fact that the inmates cannot know when they are being watched means that all inmates must act as though they are watched at all times, effectively controlling their own behaviour constantly. The name is also a reference to Panoptes from Greek mythology; he was a giant with a hundred eyes and thus was known to be a very effective watchman.

The design consists of a circular structure with an "inspection house" at its centre, from which the manager or staff of the institution are able to watch the inmates, who are stationed around the perimeter. Bentham conceived the basic plan as being equally applicable to hospitals, schools, sanatoriums, daycares, and asylums, but he devoted most of his efforts to developing a design for a Panopticon prison, and it is his prison which is most widely meant by the term.

Bentham himself described the Panopticon as "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind, in a quantity hitherto without example." Elsewhere, in a letter, he described the Panopticon prison as "a mill for grinding rogues honest".

The Panopticon is a prison design by Jeremy Bentham (1786).

Panopticon may also refer to:

Panopticon is the third full-length album by Los Angeles, California based post-metal band ISIS, released by Ipecac Recordings in 2004. The album's title is derived from philosopher Jeremy Bentham's panopticon prison ideal and philosopher/historian Michel Foucault's later allegorical appropriation of the concept. The liner notes also include quotes from technology writer Howard Rheingold and futurist Alex Steffen; as a concept album, Panopticon's focus is on the proliferation of surveillance technologies throughout modern society and the government's role in that spread.

Critical response to Panopticon was generally very warm; as it followed 2002's critically acclaimed Oceanic, many reviewers were quick to hold the two in comparison. The consensus was that Panopticon represented a progression, of sorts. The album's sound continued Isis' departure from the strictures of sludge and metal – which had been the hallmarks of their earlier material – and continued along the trajectory of post-metal, achieved by heightened use of melody and clean vocals.

On April 29, 2014 a deluxe version of Panopticon, remastered by Mika Jussila, was released by Ipecac Recordings. It contains extra music in the transitions to and from "Wills Dissolve," adding 10 seconds to the overall running time of the album.

"Panopticon" is the second single from The Smashing Pumpkins's eighth album Oceania. It was originally released as a promotional single to radio airplay on September 15, 2012.