The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis

272 Pages·2018·2.342 MB·English

by  Martha C. Nussbaum

THE MONARCHY OF FEAR
also by martha c. nussbaum
Aristotle’s De Motu Animalium
The Fragility of Goodness:
Luck and Ethics in Greek Tragedy and Philosophy
Love’s Knowledge: Essays on Philosophy and Literature
The Therapy of Desire: Theory and Practice in Hellenistic Ethics
Poetic Justice: The Literary Imagination and Public Life
Cultivating Humanity:
A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education
Sex and Social Justice
Women and Human Development: The Capabilities Approach
Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions
Hiding from Humanity: Disgust, Shame, and the Law
Frontiers of Justice: Disability, Nationality, Species Membership
The Clash Within:
Democracy, Religious Violence, and India’s Future
Liberty of Conscience:
In Defense of America’s Tradition of Religious Equality
From Disgust to Humanity:
Sexual Orientation and Constitutional Law
Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities
The New Religious Intolerance:
Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age
Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach
Political Emotions: Why Love Matters for Justice
Anger and Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity, Justice
Aging Thoughtfully: Conversations about Retirement,
Romance, Wrinkles, and Regret (with Saul Levmore)
THE
M O N A R C H Y
OF
F E A R
A PHILOSOPHER
LOOKS AT OUR
POLITICAL CRISIS
MARTHA C. NUSSBAUM
1
1
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To Saul Levmore

Contents
Preface ix
1. INTRODUCTION 1
2. FEAR, EARLY AND POWERFUL 17
3. ANGER, CHILD OF FEAR 63
4. FEAR-DRIVEN DISGUST:
THE POLITICS OF EXCLUSION 97
5. ENVY’S EMPIRE 135
6. A TOXIC BREW: SEXISM AND MISOGYNY 165
7. HOPE, LOVE, VISION 197
Acknowledgments 247

Preface
Election night 2016 was bright daylight for me—in
Kyoto, where I had just arrived for an award ceremony,
after a joyful sendoff from my colleagues at home. I
was feeling pretty anxious about the bitterly divided elector-
ate, and yet reasonably confident that appeals to fear and anger
would be repudiated—although there would be a lot of difficult
work ahead to bring Americans together. My Japanese hosts
came in and out of my hotel room, explaining the schedule of
the various ceremonial events. In the background of these con-
versations, but in the foreground of my mind, the election news
kept coming in, producing, first, increasing alarm and then, fi-
nally, both grief and a deeper fear, for the country and its people
and institutions. I was aware that my fear was not balanced or
fair-minded, so I was part of the problem that I worried about.
I was in Kyoto to accept an award established by a Japanese
scientist, businessman, and philanthropist—also a Zen Buddhist
priest—who wanted to recognize “those who have contributed
significantly to the scientific, cultural, and spiritual betterment
of mankind.” While I loved the fact that Dr. Kazuo Inamori