ased ▁a ▁class mate ▁with ▁a ▁d agger . ▁Pr one ▁to ▁self - harm , ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 8 ▁Fou ca ult ▁alleg edly ▁attempted ▁suic ide ; ▁his ▁father ▁sent ▁him ▁to ▁see ▁the ▁psych iat rist ▁Jean ▁Del ay ▁at ▁the ▁Sainte - An ne ▁Hospital ▁Center . ▁ ▁Ob s essed ▁with ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁self - m util ation ▁and ▁suic ide , ▁Fou ca ult ▁attempted ▁the ▁latter ▁several ▁times ▁in ▁en su ing ▁years , ▁pra ising ▁suic ide ▁in ▁later ▁writ ings . ▁The ▁E NS ' s ▁doctor ▁exam ined ▁Fou ca ult ' s ▁state ▁of ▁mind , ▁suggesting ▁that ▁his ▁suic idal ▁t endencies ▁emer ged ▁from ▁the ▁dist ress ▁surrounding ▁his ▁hom osex ual ity , ▁because ▁same - sex ▁sexual ▁activity ▁was ▁soci ally ▁tab oo ▁in ▁France . ▁At ▁the ▁time , ▁Fou ca ult ▁engaged ▁in ▁hom osex ual ▁activity ▁with ▁men ▁whom ▁he ▁encountered ▁in ▁the ▁under ground ▁Paris ian ▁gay ▁scene , ▁also ▁indul ging ▁in ▁drug ▁use ; ▁according ▁to ▁bi ograph er ▁James ▁Miller , ▁he ▁enjoyed ▁the ▁thr ill ▁and ▁sense ▁of ▁danger ▁that ▁these ▁activities ▁offered ▁him . ▁ ▁Although ▁studying ▁various ▁subjects , ▁Fou ca ult ▁soon ▁grav itated ▁towards ▁philosophy , ▁reading ▁not ▁only ▁H eg el ▁and ▁Marx ▁but ▁also ▁Im manuel ▁Kant , ▁Edmund ▁Hus ser l ▁and ▁most ▁significantly , ▁Martin ▁He ide g ger . ▁He ▁began ▁reading ▁the ▁publications ▁of ▁phil os opher