“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 a single watchman to observe
(-opticon) all (pan-) inmates of an institution 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.”
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