Politics of Fear - Hardcover

Furedi, Frank

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0826487289 ISBN 13: 9780826487285

Publisher: Continuum, 2005

Synopsis

Furedi argues that the traditional terms "left" and "right" have been both distorted and proved inadequate by a number of developments, notably the Cold War, the Culture Wars and (as he's shown in previous books) the prevalance of risk-adverse managerialism. The result is a politics (both big P and little p) that fails to take humans seriously as humans and which, necessarily, evades discussion of right and wrong. Furedi shows that the single most important political need is for an adequate conception of humanity (and, in the process, the public) and that it is this that will produce a new and more imaginative alignment in politics.

About this title

About the Author:

Frank Furedi is Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent at Canterbury. He is the author of numerous books including Culture of Fear, Invitation to Terror and Paranoid Parenting, all published by Continuum.

From Publishers Weekly:

Furedi, prolific author and professor of sociology at the University of Kent at Canterbury, wants people to believe in themselves again and to govern accordingly-in short, to stop being afraid. Trite as that may sound, Furedi's arguments are cogent, and rather than delving into the dense language of political theory and history, Furedi bypasses conventional left vs. right thinking and pontificates on the rifts in contemporary politics by examining the ways we commonly think about ourselves. Fear, Furedi writes, is the hallmark of contemporary western society (his arguments being strictly intended for those in the "free" world), citing as symptoms the fear of scientific and social progress (notably in a string of successful disaster flicks), using personal likes and dislikes to evaluate political candidates, and how terms of fear and mistrust have become common parlance for discussing politicians' merits. A new Enlightenment, in short, is Furedi's cure, but his thoughts on ushering in the new, while noble and largely apolitical, rely on "decent people who believe in their humanity and are willing to go against the grain. One step at a time." Forcefully argued, Furedi's book is a thoughtful, if idealistic, consideration of the prevalence of fear mongering.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0826487289
• ISBN 13: 9780826487285
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 208