Is politics necessarily violent? Does the justifiability of violence depend on whether it is perpetrated to defend or upend the existing order – or perhaps on the way in which it is conducted? Is violence simply direct physical harm, or can it also be structural, symbolic, or epistemic? In this book, Elizabeth Frazer and Kimberley Hutchings explore how political theorists, from Niccolo Machiavelli to Elaine Scarry, have addressed these issues. They engage with both defenders and critics of violence in politics, analysing their diverse justificatory and rhetorical strategies in order to draw out the enduring themes of these debates. They show how political theorists have tended to evade the central difficulties raised by violence by either reducing it to a neutral tool or identifying it with something quite distinct, such as justice or virtue. They argue that, because violence is necessarily wrapped up with hierarchical and exclusive structures and imaginaries, legitimising it in terms of the ends that it serves, or how it is perpetrated, no longer makes sense. This book will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars in areas ranging from the ethics of terror and war to radical and revolutionary political thought.

Excerpts from criticism of the works of novelists, poets, playwrights, and other creative writers, 1900-1960.

Did you know there are two laws of God? Both laws have a priesthood and a high priest. Both laws tell us how to live, how to treat each other, and how to relate to God. But One law leads to judgment, curse, and death. The other law leads to forgiveness, grace, peace, and eternal life. The Lord has revealed in the Scriptures the law of the priesthood of Melchizedek, of which Jesus is high priest. It is the law by which the Lord is calling all believers to live. It is the oldest and the highest law of God and is in fact the law of heaven. It is beautifully simple and easy to understand because it is the only law that has no exceptions. It is the law referred to in Jeremiah 31 that God writes on our hearts and minds. It is the law of love.