Mainstreaming Pacifism: Conflict, Success, and Ethics

(Hardback)

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Mainstreaming Pacifism. Conflict, success, and ethics takes on the challenge of answering the widespread objection that pacifism is ineffective. The book proposes a classification of 11 effectual means to an end (fraud, violence, force, gain, legality, masses, ideology, dialogue, humanity, time, vulnerability), and shows how such means have been at work both in the pages of classical political authors (Machiavelli, Montesquieu, Marx and Gandhi) and throughout history. Such effectual means are not only theoretically described, but are related to up-to-date experimental research, are observed in action when conflicts arise, and the general laws that govern their functioning are described. The main goal of the book is to show that violence is only one of such potentially successful political means. In presence of the political decision to act peacefully in international relations, apt combinations of non-violent effectual means may succeed over violence. The challenge taken on in this book is staying faithful to the topic of political success, while offering arguments for a peaceful resolution of conflicts. The result is an original cross-investigation, which gives visibility to an intriguing notion, effectuality, that has been silently at work throughout political philosophy, without ever having been thematized.

Reviews

Exploiting Machiavellis category of effectuality, and taking into account the thought of Marx, Montesquieu, and especially Gandhi, "a master of effectuality," the author explores in a novel and inspiring way a collection of effective alternative means to violence in the conduct of political conflict and the struggle for justice. The book is a significant contribution to a viable political pacifism for the twenty-first century. -- Giuliano Pontara, Stockholm University

Author Bio

Sara Trovato earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy and Letters at Universit Catholique de Louvain.