Hatred, vengeance, anger, indignation, contempt.... what lies at their root? What are the mechanisms that trigger their exacerbation and expansion within a group? From where do these emotions draw their strength, pushing those who have submitted to them to such extremes? These are just some of the questions addressed here in an effort to better understand the violence in our past and present history.
Written from a historic and philosophical perspective, the author, a prominent French political scientist, provides a brief history and definition of hatred from Aristotle and Homer to Spinoza, Tocqueville, and more recently, Jean-Luc Godard. He goes on to delineate the nuances between “good” and “bad” forms of indignation, and what, in his and in others’ view, causes certain groups to cross the line.