Michel Foucault was a French philosopher and social theorist known for his ideas about power, knowledge, and social institutions. He explored how societies define norms and control individuals through various systems, such as prisons, schools, and hospitals. His work encourages us to question accepted truths and understand how power operates in everyday life. Foucault's most famous concepts include biopower and governmentality, which examine how governments regulate populations and individual behavior. He believed that knowledge is intertwined with power, meaning that what we consider "truth" is often shaped by social and historical contexts. His ideas continue to influence fields like sociology, political science, and cultural studies.