Rage and Time

February 8, 2010
A brilliant and conceptually rich analysis of the influence of rage on the development of Western culture. Tracing rage from its earliest Greek articulation as Thymos in the Iliad
, Sloterdijk (Critique of Cynical Reason
) argues for a notion of rage both as a motivating force in man’s struggle for reward and recognition and as a foundational feature of the human understanding of time. According to the author, modernity has downplayed the primacy of rage in favor of a Freudian focus on desire as more fundamental to psychic life. These claims provide the framework for a demonstration of how rage has operated in the development of the “psychopolitical” history of the West, a history characterized by various attempts to “save” and “invest” rage, utilizing its force to further particular ideological ends, primarily religious and revolutionary. Though frequently hampered by excessive academic jargon and a theoretically questionable oscillation between the non-equivalent notions of Thymos and rage, the book offers a fascinating account of the historical dynamics of social development, one capable of holding a vast array of phenomena, from Biblical psalms to the 2005 Paris riots, within its purview.

April 1, 2010
Peter Sloterdijk (philosophy, Univ. of Karlsruhe, Germany) looks at rage in Western civilization through its history, philosophy, and religion. According to the author, the place of rage within our societies and governments has changed. He explains that Plato, through his dialogs, showed how acts of rage could become moral actions by allowing the person to correct injustices and gain back self-respect and moral balance. This view changed with the movement away from the wrathful God of past Western societies toward the Christian beliefs of forgiveness and understanding one's enemies. This change has also occurred in politics by what Sloterdijk views as a planned political movement of rage that is more entrepreneurial. He concludes that modern governments should find a balance between the use of rage for fights that are necessary and provoking needless conflicts. VERDICT Sloterdijk's writing is very technical, and his theories offer a unique perspective on morality and the use of force in resolving conflicts. This book will interest scholars and readers with a background in philosophy and an interest in Continental philosophy.Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI

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