A world-renowned scholar's wise perspective on humanity's fear of others.

In modern society, the era of rapid growth is over.
Faced with the demise of the American Dream, the despair of the working class, and the recent global pandemic, is democracy retreating or advancing?
Citizens who have lost hope for the future are easily consumed by fear in the face of uncertainty.
These fears are often mixed with hatred, anger, and blame toward others (whether the privileged or the minority).
Instead of rational thinking and constructive collaboration, we choose easy targeting strategies, which creates sharp boundaries between ourselves and others.


At the root of various social divisions such as gender, religion, occupation, age, disability, and sexual orientation are intimate human emotions.
Political emotions such as class conflict, misogyny, and the confrontation between progressives and conservatives have always been cleverly manipulated by those in power behind the scenes.
Author Martha Nussbaum, a world-renowned scholar and political philosopher, wrote this book, The Monarchy of Fear, based on the profound sense of helplessness she felt on the night President Trump was elected in November 2016.

Practical problems are always difficult to solve, and solving them requires difficult, lengthy research and collaboration toward an uncertain future.
Ultimately, this fear and helplessness easily translates into blame, or "othering," directed at outside groups such as immigrants, racial minorities, and women.
It's like 'they' are stealing 'our' jobs and the wealthy elite are monopolizing the country.
--- pp.27~28

Just because a child hits a friend, you don't hit the child, saying the child deserves to be hit too.
Choose a strategy that clearly lets your child know what he or she did wrong.
And we want to change our behavior with positive suggestions for the future.
Such loving parents experience only unrequited anger when it comes to their children's problems.
Because I love children.
This will be the starting point for constructive proposals for democracy.
But I fear that in a democratic society we do not always love our fellow citizens.
--- p.109

A crucial point in this progressive movement is to distinguish, as King did, between the act and the actor.
We should embrace the humanity of others and only oppose the wrongdoings they may have committed.
This way, even if you don't agree with what your fellow citizens say or do, you can still consider them your friends.
But through fear, blame, and revenge, we cannot find any good in others.
--- p.129

The musical ends on an optimistic note about American politics.
We are plagued by jealous competition and destructive external attacks.
But I know where the true line lies.
It lies precisely in the love of one's country, in the dedicated service of many who willingly gave up their lives for democracy, in the determination that brotherhood, healthy work, and the inclusion of minorities and immigrants outshine hatred.
It's such simple advice for young Americans today.
--- p.198

Sexism is a problem.
But the sexist beliefs can be refuted with evidence.
That was actually the case.
The real problem is men's determination to maintain the old order, even if it means resorting to ridicule, hate speech, restrictions on employment and elections, and a refusal to respect women as equals.
Misogyny is not a smart strategy because it is entirely negative, as the saying goes, “Keep the damn women out.”
This is similar to children screaming and hitting the floor with their feet.
Refusing to change doesn't solve the problems misogynists want to solve.
(…) Misogyny is only a momentary comfort and accomplishes nothing.
--- pp.242~243

Beliefs do not have to be unrealistic or idealistic, nor should they be.
Goals may not be achieved quickly or in our lifetime, but we must believe that if we work hard, we can expect meaningful progress.
The goal should not be unrealistic, like perfect justice, which humanity can never maintain.
Such hopes can easily lead to despair and cynicism.
True life is what we must believe in.
We must cultivate a hope strengthened by faith that embraces all that flawed human beings can do, or may actually do.
--- p.264

Without love for others, the cynical despair of the Stoics would seem more plausible than a life of hope.
Therefore, a basic level of love is necessary before we can even hope.
Hope is sustained by love, and love is sustained by the generosity of the soul that expects the best from others rather than the worst.
As King notes, separating the action from the person doing it helps this love.
You can condemn evil actions.
But people are always capable of growth and change beyond their actions.
--- p.266

Hope in politics begins with stopping hate.
Of course, it's easier said than done.
Many of my students and fellow professors also detest Trump and his supporters.
They fail to imagine the full humanity of others and do not separate their actions from the humanity behind those actions.
As Mandela and King showed, we can condemn racism without demonizing racists.
As long as we define each other as evil, we cannot have faith in a bright future, nor can we have the love that makes cooperation and humanity possible.
In the end, we are unable to have the hope that Kant spoke of.

--- p.269