The Pitfalls of “Love and Kindness”: On the Challenges to Compassion/Pity as a Political Emotion

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Weber, Anne-Kathrin
Data de Publicação: 2018
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v6i4.1393
Resumo: Martha Nussbaum’s political theory of compassion offers an extensive and compelling study of the potential of employing compassionate emotions in the political realm to further social justice and societal “love”. In this article, two pitfalls of Nussbaum’s affirming theory of a politics of compassion are highlighted: the problem of a dual-level hierarchisation and the “magic” of feeling compassion that potentially removes the subject of compassion from reality. I will argue that Hannah Arendt’s thoughts on pity provide substantial challenges to a democratic theory of compassion in this respect. Following these theoretical reflections, I will turn to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 US-American presidential election campaign, to her video ads “Love and Kindness” in particular, in order to provide fitting illustrations from current realpolitik for these specific pitfalls of the political employment of compassionate emotions.
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spelling The Pitfalls of “Love and Kindness”: On the Challenges to Compassion/Pity as a Political Emotioncompassion; emotions; Hannah Arendt; Hillary Clinton; Martha Nussbaum; pityMartha Nussbaum’s political theory of compassion offers an extensive and compelling study of the potential of employing compassionate emotions in the political realm to further social justice and societal “love”. In this article, two pitfalls of Nussbaum’s affirming theory of a politics of compassion are highlighted: the problem of a dual-level hierarchisation and the “magic” of feeling compassion that potentially removes the subject of compassion from reality. I will argue that Hannah Arendt’s thoughts on pity provide substantial challenges to a democratic theory of compassion in this respect. Following these theoretical reflections, I will turn to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 US-American presidential election campaign, to her video ads “Love and Kindness” in particular, in order to provide fitting illustrations from current realpolitik for these specific pitfalls of the political employment of compassionate emotions.Cogitatio2018-12-28info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v6i4.1393oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1393Politics and Governance; Vol 6, No 4 (2018): Interdisciplinary Approaches to Studying Emotions within Politics and International Relations; 53-612183-2463reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAPenghttps://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/1393https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v6i4.1393https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/1393/1393Copyright (c) 2018 Anne-Kathrin Weberhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessWeber, Anne-Kathrin2022-10-21T16:03:52Zoai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1393Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T16:13:47.856345Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv The Pitfalls of “Love and Kindness”: On the Challenges to Compassion/Pity as a Political Emotion
title The Pitfalls of “Love and Kindness”: On the Challenges to Compassion/Pity as a Political Emotion
spellingShingle The Pitfalls of “Love and Kindness”: On the Challenges to Compassion/Pity as a Political Emotion
Weber, Anne-Kathrin
compassion; emotions; Hannah Arendt; Hillary Clinton; Martha Nussbaum; pity
title_short The Pitfalls of “Love and Kindness”: On the Challenges to Compassion/Pity as a Political Emotion
title_full The Pitfalls of “Love and Kindness”: On the Challenges to Compassion/Pity as a Political Emotion
title_fullStr The Pitfalls of “Love and Kindness”: On the Challenges to Compassion/Pity as a Political Emotion
title_full_unstemmed The Pitfalls of “Love and Kindness”: On the Challenges to Compassion/Pity as a Political Emotion
title_sort The Pitfalls of “Love and Kindness”: On the Challenges to Compassion/Pity as a Political Emotion
author Weber, Anne-Kathrin
author_facet Weber, Anne-Kathrin
author_role author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Weber, Anne-Kathrin
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv compassion; emotions; Hannah Arendt; Hillary Clinton; Martha Nussbaum; pity
topic compassion; emotions; Hannah Arendt; Hillary Clinton; Martha Nussbaum; pity
description Martha Nussbaum’s political theory of compassion offers an extensive and compelling study of the potential of employing compassionate emotions in the political realm to further social justice and societal “love”. In this article, two pitfalls of Nussbaum’s affirming theory of a politics of compassion are highlighted: the problem of a dual-level hierarchisation and the “magic” of feeling compassion that potentially removes the subject of compassion from reality. I will argue that Hannah Arendt’s thoughts on pity provide substantial challenges to a democratic theory of compassion in this respect. Following these theoretical reflections, I will turn to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 US-American presidential election campaign, to her video ads “Love and Kindness” in particular, in order to provide fitting illustrations from current realpolitik for these specific pitfalls of the political employment of compassionate emotions.
publishDate 2018
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2018-12-28
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
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dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v6i4.1393
oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1393
url https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v6i4.1393
identifier_str_mv oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1393
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/1393
https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v6i4.1393
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/1393/1393
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv Copyright (c) 2018 Anne-Kathrin Weber
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Copyright (c) 2018 Anne-Kathrin Weber
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Cogitatio
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Cogitatio
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Politics and Governance; Vol 6, No 4 (2018): Interdisciplinary Approaches to Studying Emotions within Politics and International Relations; 53-61
2183-2463
reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
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