First published in France In 1947, Merleau-Ponty's essay was in
part a response to Arthur Koestler's novel, "Darkness at Noon," and
in a larger sense a contribution to the political and moral debates
of a postwar world suddenly divided into two armed camps. For
Merleau-Ponty, the basic question was: given the violence in
Communism, is Communism still equal to its humanist intentions?
Starting with the assumption that a society is not a "temple of
value-idols that figure on the front of its monuments or in its
constitutional scrolls; the value of a society is the value It
places upon man's relation to man," Merleau-ponty examines not only
the Moscow trials of the late thirties but also Koestler's
re-creation of them. And Merleau-Ponty makes it clear that the
Moscow trials--and violence in general in the Communist world--can
be understood only In the context of revolutionary violence. He
demonstrates that it is pointless to begin an examination of
Communist violence by asking whether Communism respects the rules
of liberal thought; it is evident that Communism does not. The
question that should be asked is whether the violence Communism
exercises is revolutionary violence, capable of building humane
relations among men.
At a time when many are addressing similar questions to societies
both in the East and in the West, Merleau-Ponty's investigations
and speculations are of prime importance; they stand as a major and
provocative contribution to the argument surrounding the use of
violence.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
