Anger and Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity, Justice
- Book
- May 1, 2016
- #Philosophy
Anger is not just ubiquitous, it is also popular. Many people think it is impossible to care sufficiently for justice without anger at injustice. Many believe that it is impossible...
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Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 0199335877
ISBN-13: 9780199335879
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Phil Treagus-Evans @philtreagus
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Feb 4, 2018
- Curated in THE BEST MODERN PHILOSOPHY BOOKS
Nussbaum opens with the ancient myth of Oresteia in which the Furies – goddesses of revenge – hunt down Orestes, who killed his mother. Athena intervenes and sets up a system of judicial law, but invites the Furies to temper their retributive anger and be part of the city. They accept and transform from bloodthirsty vengeful creatures to being kind, just, and gracious. Nussbaum delves from here into the depths of anger and, drawing upon Stoic ideas, proposes how we might think differently about forgiveness.
One of the key problems with anger is that it’s often about insecurity and status-injury, “And status-injury has a narcissistic flavor.” It would be a lot healthier for society if we were to focus on deterring future wrongs, rather than seeking Fury-like payback – which is irrational and often just makes the situation worse. It’s a book that has the potential to change the world for the better.