On Violence
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · March 11, 1970
A Philosophy pick for readers exploring On Violence.
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- Who it’s for
- Arendt’s clear-eyed analysis asks what violence is—and what it cannot do in place of power.
- Themes
- Violence and power, War and politics, Historical analysis of violence
- Pacing
- Reflective
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Political theorist, philosopher, and feminist thinker Hannah Arendt's On Violence is an analysis of the nature, causes, and significance of violence in the second half of the twentieth century. The public revulsion against violence and nonviolent philosophies continues to diminish in the twenty-first century.
Continue reading
In this classic and still all too resonant work, Hannah Arendt puts her theories about violence into historical perspective, examining the relationships between war and politics, violence and power. Questioning the nature of violent behavior, she reveals the causes of its many manifestations, and ulitmately argues against Mao Zedong's dictum "power grows out of the barrel of a gun," proposing instead that "power and violence are opposites; where one rules absolutely, the other is absent."“Incisive, deeply probing, written with clarity and grace, it provides an ideal framework for understanding the turbulence of our times.”—The Nation
Power, Violence, Politics
Arendt’s clear-eyed analysis asks what violence is—and what it cannot do in place of power.
Come here for
- A historical lens on the ties between war and politics
- A bracing distinction between power and violence
Expect
- Direct, probing questions about violent behavior
- Political theory with relevance beyond its own moment
Where it sits
| Violence in Society | 59% |
|---|---|
| Political Philosophy | 52% |
| Political Writing | 41% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- School Violence Prevention
- World History
- Political Philosophy
- Democracy
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Anarchism
- Radical Politics
- Genocide & War Crimes
- History of Science
- Authors
- Hannah Arendt
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- March 11, 1970
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Violence and power · War and politics · Historical analysis of violence
- Reading lane
- School Violence Prevention