
On Mercy
Malcolm Bull(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 20. April 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
204 pages
978-0-691-21745-1 (ISBN)
Description
Is mercy more important than justice?
Since antiquity, mercy has been regarded as a virtue. Yet by the end of the eighteenth century, mercy had been exiled from political life. In this book, Malcolm Bull analyses and challenges the Enlightenment's rejection of mercy. Political realism, Bull argues, demands recognition of the foundational role of mercy in society. If we are vulnerable to harm from others, we are in need of their mercy. By restoring the primacy of mercy over justice, we may constrain the powerful and release the agency of the powerless. An important contribution to political philosophy from an inventive thinker, On Mercy makes a persuasive case for returning this neglected virtue to the heart of political thought.
Since antiquity, mercy has been regarded as a virtue. Yet by the end of the eighteenth century, mercy had been exiled from political life. In this book, Malcolm Bull analyses and challenges the Enlightenment's rejection of mercy. Political realism, Bull argues, demands recognition of the foundational role of mercy in society. If we are vulnerable to harm from others, we are in need of their mercy. By restoring the primacy of mercy over justice, we may constrain the powerful and release the agency of the powerless. An important contribution to political philosophy from an inventive thinker, On Mercy makes a persuasive case for returning this neglected virtue to the heart of political thought.
Reviews / Votes
"One of New Statesman's Books of the Year 2019"More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
227 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-21745-1 (9780691217451)
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Schweitzer Classification
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Malcolm Bull
On Mercy
E-Book
04/2019
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
from
€79.95
Available for download
Person
Malcolm Bull is Professor of Art and the History of Ideas at the University of Oxford and a Senior Associate Research Fellow of Christ Church, Oxford. He is the author of books on Vico and Nietzsche.