Envy, propelled by fear, can be even more toxic than anger, because it involves the thought that other people enjoy the good things of life which the envier can't hope to attain through hard work and emulation.
Martha NussbaumRead
Mob rule is always extremely dangerous for the future of democracy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Mob rule threatens democratic values and can lead to chaos.
Martha Nussbaum's quote emphasizes the perilous nature of mob rule, arguing that when decisions are made by the masses rather than through thoughtful deliberation and democratic processes, it endangers the fundamental principles of democracy. In essence, she warns that collective emotional outbursts can undermine justice and rational governance, leading to a future where democracy is at risk.
Themes
Mob RuleDemocracyDangerFutureGovernance
In practice
Example use cases
In a political debate, one might reference Nussbaum's quote to discuss the importance of maintaining rational debate.
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All quotes βThis is true across every single society; we project grossness onto a racial or gender subgroup or caste. A big part of social subordination and discrimination is to ascribe hyper-animality to other groups and use that as an excuse for subordinating them further.
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Often, we feel helpless in lots of situations in our lives. The way anger gets a grip on us is it seems to be a way to extricate ourselves from helplessness.
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Courses in the humanities, in particular, often seem impractical, but they are vital, because they stretch your imagination and challenge your mind to become more responsive, more critical, bigger.
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I find so often, you know, just on a very mundane level; you've got a meeting and your child's acting in a school play. You can't do both things. And it's not simply that you can't do both, but whatever you do, you're going to be neglecting something that's really important.
Martha NussbaumRead
Look at the great tradition of Western political philosophy. Those people were all immersed in revolutionary movements. Most weren't career academics - often, they were too radical to be accepted in the academy. Rousseau's books were banned. Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill couldn't hold academic positions because they were atheists.
Martha NussbaumRead
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