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.
