Wittgenstein and the Nature of Violence

How do we explain violence?

What is so significant of modern forms of violence that it has produced such large-scale destruction in its wake?

This volume builds on the political philosophy of Wittgenstein, his notions of peace and violence, to explore how violence in any form is contained in culturally or ideologically formed institutions. Drawing on Wittgenstein’s work on language, it explores the link between language and violence, everydayness and culture. It examines everyday instances of micro-violence that we sometimes forget to recall. This book puts forth the claim that any theory of violence will have to touch on the myriad – both micro and macro – political, social and cultural interactions that make up the human condition. The author further comments on the unseen ways violence has been instrumentalized in modern history’s many stages to create a spectacle of power to reinforce authority.

The volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of peace and conflict studies, political philosophy, linguistics and modern history.

R. Krishnaswamy is an assistant professor at the Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities (JSLH), O.P. Jindal Global University (O.P. JGU), Haryana, India. He is interested in the interface of language and the mind.