The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis

　瑪莎．納斯邦是美國當代著名自由主義學者，聲譽卓著的她因多本論述著作贏得了數十項國際榮譽獎項，如京都獎、古根漢獎學金人文類等。


　　納斯邦透過此書帶領讀者沈思自 2016 年美國總統大選以來，讓美國兩極分化逐漸嚴重的政治危機，並對於如何團結分裂的國家提出建議。

　　現今的社會氛圍充斥著政治黨派之爭，各執一詞的兩方無力於溝通並只存在著意見分裂言辭。納斯邦認為造成此問題的核心其實非常簡單，也是許多民調機構與專家所忽略的，那就是政治總是情緒化的。全球化導致西方世界數百萬人深深的感到無能為力，而這種無力感卻轉化為憤恨與指責。怪罪移民、怪罪穆斯林、怪罪其他種族或是怪罪文化菁英，即使這種指責型的政治形態可以透過川普的選舉及英國投票脫歐完全體現出來，但納斯邦也論述此型態含括了所有政治範圍，不論是左派還是右派。

　　納斯邦將借鑒古代雅典與音樂劇漢密爾頓作為歷史與現代混和的例子，並經由此書解開這層情緒的結，並提供了必須面對且迎向改變的方向。（文 / 博客來編譯）

From one of the world's most celebrated moral philosophers comes a thorough examination of the current political crisis and recommendations for how to mend our divided country.

For decades Martha C. Nussbaum has been an acclaimed scholar and humanist, earning dozens of honors for her books and essays. In The Monarchy of Fear she turns her attention to the current political crisis that has polarized American since the 2016 election.

Although today's atmosphere is marked by partisanship, divisive rhetoric, and the inability of two halves of the country to communicate with one another, Nussbaum focuses on what so many pollsters and pundits have overlooked. She sees a simple truth at the heart of the problem: the political is always emotional. Globalization has produced feelings of powerlessness in millions of people in the West. That sense of powerlessness bubbles into resentment and blame. Blame of immigrants. Blame of Muslims. Blame of other races. Blame of cultural elites. While this politics of blame is exemplified by the election of Donald Trump and the vote for Brexit, Nussbaum argues it can be found on all sides of the political spectrum, left or right.

Drawing on a mix of historical and contemporary examples, from classical Athens to the musical Hamilton, The Monarchy of Fear untangles this web of feelings and provides a roadmap of where to go next.

Martha C. Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, appointed in the Philosophy Department and the Law School of the University of Chicago. She gave the 2016 Jefferson Lecture for the National Endowment for the Humanities and won the 2016 Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy. The 2018 Berggruen Prize in Philosophy and Culture, and the 2020 Holberg Prize. These three prizes are regarded as the most prestigious awards available in fields not eligible for a Nobel. She has written more than twenty-two books, including Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions; Anger and Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity, Justice; Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities; and The Monarchy of Fear.