Politics, Polarity, and Peace.

• Superior document: Value Inquiry Book Series ; v.386
• Author: Barnes, Will.
• Place / Publishing House: Boston : : BRILL,, 2023.; ©2023.
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Value Inquiry Book Series
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (318 pages)

Polarization simplifies and deforms language, ideas, and people and reduces social life into an oppositional binary based on harmful "us versus them" narratives. What can we do to bring about a transformation away from polarity to peace? What are the polarities obscuring the path to peace? Is it a question of belief versus belief? Does it make sense to appeal to reason, discourse, and compromise in a polarized climate? What is the difference between harmful and helpful polarities? In the pursuit of peace and justice, the authors in this volume answer these and other questions relating to polarity and politics.

Table of Contents

Front Cover -- Half Title -- Series Information -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Notes on Contributors -- Introduction -- Part 1 Deconstructing Polarity -- Chapter 1 Uncivil Obedience: a Method for (Potentially) Decreasing Political Polarization -- 1 A More Precise Conceptualization -- 2 Incivility: Malice? -- 3 Two Communicative Characteristics of Uncivil Obedience -- 4 The Potential for Decreasing Polarization -- 5 Conclusion: a Possible Program of Research and Action -- References -- Chapter 2 At Peace, with Polarity: Left Cynicism, Cheekiness, and Satire -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Cynicism -- 3 Left Cynicism -- 4 Cheekiness -- 5 African American Racial Satire -- 6 A Critique of Cheekiness -- 7 Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 3 Democracy and Partisanship -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- References -- Chapter 4 De-polarization, Nonviolent Agonism, and the Anarchy of Difference -- 1 The Beloved Community and the Impossible Community -- 2 Polarization vs. Diversity -- 3 The Violence of Polarization and the Complexity of Conflict -- 4 Agon vs. Polemos -- 5 Agonistic Political Theory -- 6 Conclusion -- References -- Part 2 Issues in Contemporary Liberal and Moral Theory -- Chapter 5 Democracy, the Carceral State, and the Carceral Ethos: toward a Discourse Democratic Critique of the American Criminal Justice System -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Critical Theories of Punishment and Discourse Democratic Theory -- 3 The Carceral State and the Carceral Ethos -- 3.1 Formal Institutions: Political Inequality and the Carceral State -- 3.2 Informal Politics: the Carceral Ethos -- 3.2.1 Security versus Democratic Legitimacy -- 3.2.2 Undermining Citizenship -- 3.2.3 Blame and "Civil Death" -- 4 Towards the Discourse Theoretic Critique of the Carceral State and Carceral Ethos -- 4.1 Formal Legal Changes -- 4.2 Discourse Democratic Ethos.

4.2.1 Against the Inverted Carceral Ethos -- 4.2.2 A Genuine Discourse Democratic Ethos -- 5 Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 6 Security, Education, Public Opinion, and Truth Invoking Mill's Utilitarianism as a Guide to Sustainable Peacemaking in a Fragmented and Frightened World -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Mill Still Speaks to Freedom, Justice, and Community -- 2.1 Mill, Truth, and the Common Good -- 2.2 Mill, Politics, and Freedom -- 2.3 Mill, Polarity, and Justice -- 2.4 Mill, Peace, and Community -- 2.5 A Millian Security Approach to Politics, Polarity, and Peace -- 3 Millian Security Principle 1: Threat: Security Protects against a Vital, Existential Threat -- 4 Millian Security Principle 2: Safety &amp -- Stability: Security Preserves Safety and Stability -- 5 Millian Security Principle 3: Justice: Security Promotes Justice -- 6 Millian Security Principle 4: Community: Security Produces Community -- 7 Millian Security Principle 5: Utility: Security Practices Utility -- 7.1 Towards a Millian Peacemaking Discourse -- References -- Chapter 7 Our Hazardous Polarized World: Exploring the Viciousness of Non-responsive Wrongdoing -- 1 Polarity's Hazardous Society -- 2 The Character-Based Difference4 -- 3 Polarization and Letting Die -- 4 Some Further Theoretical Grounding -- 5 Practical Concerns and Suggestions -- References -- Part 3 Language -- Chapter 8 Hate Speech as Antithetical to Free Speech: the Real Polarity -- References -- Chapter 9 Accounting for Moral and Epistemic Culpability in the Contemporary Discourse of Racism -- 1 Context and Motivation -- 2 Several Points of Clarification -- 3 Getting to the Point -- 4 Why This Distinction Matters -- 5 Limitations and Further Considerations -- 6 Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 10 How Pejorative Language Encourages Physical Violence -- 1 From Pejorative Language to Physical Violence.

2 Dangers of Words with Negative Associations: Stanley's Non-ideal Philosophy of Language -- 2.1 "Beware of 'Snakes,' 'Invaders' and Other Fighting Words": Language and Polarity -- 2.2 "Language as a Mechanism of Control": Negative and Violent Impact of Propaganda -- 2.3 "Towards a Non-ideal Philosophy of Language": Making Analysis Critical -- 3 Dangers of Derogatory Terms and Toxic Speech: Tirrell's Application of the Later Wittgenstein -- 3.1 "Derogatory Terms" and the Absolutist versus Reclaimer Debate -- 3.2 "Genocidal Language Games" and the Facilitation of Massive Legal Violence -- 3.3 "Toxic Speech" and the Application of Linguistic Epidemiology -- 3.3.1 Tirrell's "Toward an Epidemiology of Discursive Harm" -- 3.3.2 Tirrell's "Inoculations and Antidotes" -- 4 Intersectionality and Countering Pejorative Language Turning to Physical Violence -- References -- Chapter 11 The Healing Power of Awareness: Nonviolence in Thought, Word, and Deed -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Overview of Nonviolent Methods -- 2.1 Nonviolent Resistance -- 2.2 The Socratic Method -- 2.3 Nonviolent Communication -- 2.4 Mindful Transformation of Feelings -- 2.5 Aside on Nonviolent Speech -- 3 Becoming Aware of Attitudes -- 3.1 Which Attitudes? -- 3.2 Investigating, Expressing, and Drawing Out -- 4 How Awareness Leads to Conflict Resolution -- 4.1 Features of Nonviolent Conflict Resolution -- 4.2 The Healing Power of Awareness -- 4.3 Why Awareness Works -- 5 Summary -- References -- Chapter 12 The Deadliness of Doing: Agamben, Oakeshott, and Withdrawing from Activity -- 1 Modal Political Ontology as the Response to Activity -- 2 Critiquing our Concept of Activity: Economy and Work -- 3 Finding a Way out of Activity: Inoperativity and Play -- 4 An Elevated Definition of Conversation -- 5 The Distortion of Conversation by Economy or Work.

6 Withdrawing from Economy through Inoperative Conversations -- 7 Imagining a Form of Life and Peace -- References -- Index -- Back Cover.