Violence and Nonviolence by Barry L Gan

Violence and Nonviolence by Barry L Gan

Violence and Nonviolence: an Introduction critiques five dominant societal views about violence and nonviolence. Using evidence from scientific studies as well as anecdotal evidence and news reports, esteemed scholar and editor Barry L. Gan shows readers that these widely adopted and violent views are largely mistaken, and require a fundamental rethinking and adjustment. By synthesizing new research with old philosophies, Gan introduces readers to an alternative paradigm of nonviolence through which we can begin to build a more peaceful world. Nonviolent strategic action -- a kind of selective nonviolence -- is the first of the two alternative paradigms that provides a concrete approach to addressing social and political problems arising from violence. Nonviolence as a way of life is the second of the paradigms that expands upon (and in some respects critiques) the first, preferring a comprehensive and radical response to the scourges of violence that have plagued human history.

With clarity and insight, Barry Gan has provided an engaging, illuminating, and original perspective on the problems of violence and nonviolenceA valuable contribution to understanding these issues, readily accessible to a general audience. -- Robert L. Holmes, University of Rochester
In this introduction to violence and nonviolence, Gan (philosophy, Bonaventure U.) focuses on subjective and intersubjective violence and examines common myths about violence, noting logical inconsistencies as well as ways to overcome their rhetorical force. These include the idea that violence is exclusively a physical act, that there are good people and bad people (i.e. and good perpetrators of violence and bad ones), that some measured violence is always necessary to prevent greater violence, and that wrongdoers must be punished and forgo their some or all of their worth as humans in the process. The second part of the text is about thinking through nonviolence as a radical practice and comprehensive strategy in light of the 'fuller account of violence' Gans is offering. He is at odds with the idea that 'ends justify the means,' but agrees in the end with Plato that 'it is better to be injured than to injure.' * Book News, Inc. *
This is the book that teachers of nonviolence have been waiting for! Barry Gan exposes five cultural myths with regard to violence, and demonstrates clearly the importance of intention, not merely action, with regard to violence. He argues his case with the precision of a careful philosopher and the pace of a good storyteller. Gan’s is an utterly honest account, and is never merely theoretical. Perhaps the most creative aspect of this book is his explication of the difference between selective nonviolence (nonviolence as a political strategy) and comprehensive nonviolence (nonviolence as a way of life). Barry Gan makes an eloquent case for comprehensive nonviolence. This will be an important book for use in classes looking at violence and nonviolence in philosophy, sociology, psychology, history, and in general education. -- Andrew Fitz-Gibbon, SUNY Cortland

Barry L. Gan is professor of philosophy and director of the Center for Nonviolence at St. Bonaventure University. He is editor of the journal The Acorn: Journal of the Gandhi-King Society and has co-edited the anthology, Nonviolence in Theory and Practice with Robert L. Holmes.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781442217591
ISBN 10	1442217596
Title	Violence and Nonviolence
Author	Barry L Gan
Series	Studies In Social Political And Legal Philosophy
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Year published	2013-08-08
Number of pages	138
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.