Description
Book SynopsisAre human beings naturally violent? Is war the fate of the human race? Despite the depressing record of the past, the world's future depends upon avoiding war and drastically reducing violence. Living Nonviolently: Language for Resisting Violence examines carefully the language of violence and war. One of the first casualties of violence is language, which in turn makes resistance to violence difficult to articulate. In the first four chapters, Gabriel Moran proposes distinctions for the interconnected ideas of force, power, aggressiveness, violence, and warnot to invent a new and logical language but to ground the meaning of these terms in our human experience. That revitalization of ordinary language depends upon an inclusive language of men and women, adults and children, human and nonhuman animals. The fifth chapter locates the potential for both encouraging violence and resisting violence in the peculiar logic of religion. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is commonly invoked by people w
Trade ReviewMoran's clarifying discussions of so much that concerns us and how we relate in today’s world—‘nature’ and what is ‘natural,' ‘aggression,' ‘lying’ and ‘deceit,' transparency and the constraints of ‘the right to know’—uncover questions that both awaken readers to the possibilities of a revitalized language and revitalize efforts to live nonviolently. Parents, families, diverse communities, members of the body politic, educators all, will find much to savour in Living Nonviolently. -- Margaret Woodward, independent researcher and writer, Melbourne
Gabriel Moran’s scholarly work Living Nonviolently: Language for Resisting Violence rethinks how we speak about violence in our everyday life-such as the “war” on poverty-to illuminate a new way of being. Recommended for religious and secular educators, fans of political philosophy an peace studies, or anyone interested in living nonviolently. * Sojourners *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction. Language for Nonviolent Living Chapter 2 Chapter 1. The Force of Nature and the Nature of Force Chapter 3 Chapter 2. The Possibility of Power and the Power of Possibility Chapter 4 Chapter 3. The Nonviolent Life: Aggressive and Deceptive Chapter 5 Chapter 4. War as a Metaphor and War's Own Metaphor Chapter 6 Chapter 5. Is Religion Violent? Are Religions Violent? Chapter 7 Chapter 6. Education toward Nonviolent Living
