War and Brutality: Hannah Arendt's "On Violence" Book Review by Righter

War and Brutality: Hannah Arendt's "On Violence"
A review of Hannah Arendt's book, "On Violence".
# 153840 | 2,188 words | 6 sources | MLA | 2014 | US
Published on Mar 09, 2014 in Political Science (Political Theory) , Philosophy (Ethics)


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Description:

The paper relates that Hannah Arendt's reflections in her book, "On Violence" were motivated by the unique and unprecedented nature of the brutality and wars in the twentieth century. The paper is divided into three sections. The first section presents a summary of Arendt's arguments, the second section offers a review of the literature on this work, and the final section presents the views of this author.

Outline:
Arendt's Views in "On Violence"
Published Reviews of "On Violence"
My Views Concerning "On Violence"

From the Paper:

"In Section I of On Violence, Arendt makes three main claims: 1. The proliferation of advanced technological weapons - especially the invention of and advent of nuclear weapons - has made warfare unprecedentedly unpredictable. 2. There has been a recent global phenomenon of protests and rebellions by students and other groups that is based on the development of technology (in terms of weaponry) and its harmful consequences. 3. There has also been a current trend among intellectuals (e.g. Jean-Paul Sartre, George Sorel, and Frantz Fanon) to advocate violence as a means to "create" oneself and one's fellow men. Arendt strongly disagrees with the sentiments and opinions of these intellectuals.
"First, as to the unpredictable nature of war in the twentieth century, Arendt's claim seems to be based on the fact that hitherto conventional warfare (i.e. warfare without weapons of mass destruction) allowed for the possibility of certain victory, on the one hand, and predictable defeat on the other. However, because of the development of nuclear technology, now there is no certainty or predictability as to victory or defeat. In fact, there exists now only an "apocalyptic chess game between the superpowers [i.e. the United States and the Soviet Union]" in which if one side were to "win" it would mean the end of both countries (not to mention, the likely end of humanity in general)."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Anonymous. "On Violence by Hannah Arendt."Journal of Peace Research. Vol. 7. No. 4. Sage Publications. 1970.
  • Arendt, Hannah. On Violence. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World. 1970.
  • Eros, J.S. "Police State. by Brian Chapman; On Violence. by Hannah Arendt." International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-). Vol. 47. No. 3. Wiley Publications. July 1971.
  • Rosenberg, Harry. "Violence...The Story So Far. Hannah Arendt on Violence. Extended Book Review." http://www.roadtopeace.org/index.php?itemid=961.
  • Smitha, Frank E. "Violence: the View of Hannah Arendt." http://www.fsmitha.com/review/arendt.html. 2007.

Cite this Book Review:

APA Format

War and Brutality: Hannah Arendt's "On Violence" (2014, March 09) Retrieved December 09, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/book-review/war-and-brutality-hannah-arendt-on-violence-153840/

MLA Format

"War and Brutality: Hannah Arendt's "On Violence"" 09 March 2014. Web. 09 December. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/book-review/war-and-brutality-hannah-arendt-on-violence-153840/>

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