The Force of Nonviolence: The Ethical in the Political

Judith Butler’s new book shows that the ethics of nonviolence must be connected to a broader political struggle for social equality. Butler introduces the concept of “grievable and ungrievable lives,” through which she describes how, when, and why nonviolence can be viewed as hostility—and can lead to the use of force. The author argues that there is a divergence of opinions about what should be considered violence and what should be considered nonviolence: nonviolence is often wrongly perceived as a life philosophy of non-aggression, though that isn’t always the case…