This important book confronts the brutal history of the twentieth century to unravel the psychological mystery of why so many atrocities occurred--the Holocaust, Hiroshima, the Gulag, Cambodia, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and others--and how we can prevent their recurrence. Jonathan Glover finds disturbing similarities in the psychology of those involved with atrocities, yet offers hope that the development of a political and personal moral imagination can empower us to resist all acts of cruelty.
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In Humanity, English ethicist Jonathan Glover begins with the now commonplace observation that the last 100 years were perhaps the most brutal in all history. But the problem wasn't that human nature suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse: "It is a myth that barbarism is unique to the twentieth century: the whole of human history includes wars, massacres, and every kind of torture and cruelty," he writes. Technology has made a huge difference, but psychology has remained the same--and this is what Glover seeks to examine, through discussions of Nietzsche, the My Lai atrocity in Vietnam, Hiroshima, tribal genocide in Rwanda, Stalinism, Nazism, and so on.
There is much history here, but Humanity is fundamentally a book of philosophy. In his first chapter, for instance, Glover announces his goal "to replace the thin, mechanical psychology of the Enlightenment with something more complex, something closer to reality." But he also seeks "to defend the Enlightenment hope of a world that is more peaceful and more humane, the hope that by understanding more about ourselves we can do something to create a world with less misery." The result is an odd combination of darkness and light--darkness because the subject matter of the 20th century's moral failings is so bleak, light because of Glover's earnest optimism, which insists that "keeping the past alive may help to prevent atrocities." He cites Stalin's bracing comment, made while signing death warrants: "Who's going to remember all this riff-raff in ten or twenty years' time? No one." At one level, Humanity is a book of remembrance. But it's more than that: it's also an attempt to understand what it is in the human mind that makes moral disaster always loom--and a prayer that this aspect of our psychology might be better controlled. --John J. Miller
From Booklist
An ethics academic in Britain, Glover discourses on the dismantlement of absolute morality concepts synonymous with Friedrich Nietzsche, and explicitly put into effect by the twentieth century's terrible tyrants. To describe the release Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, and Pol Pot granted themselves from ordinary morality's prohibitions against killing, Glover quotes their ideological justifications of creating a perfect human society. Having opened this book with Nietzsche's pronouncements that man creates his morals, Glover's linking of mass murder with that philosopher is direct, and, if not an original way of comprehending the sufferings inflicted by dictators, it is worthwhile revisiting for those vexed by the apparent meaninglessness of enormous crimes. Indeed, Glover is a direct writer, not given to the opacity that clouds many a discussion of ethics. For instance, he narrates specific atrocities, and describes the psychological "traps" the triggermen find themselves in as their rationales for their actions. The "trap" metaphor extends in Glover's view to events such as World War I, and whatever dispute diplomatic historians will make with that, ethicists will find profit in Glover's not totally bleak survey. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Customer Reviews
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By youngbowman
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Arrived almost 2 weeks after expected date. Very dis-satisfied. Took forever to get and shipper/Amazon could not track or give a valid excuse
Format:Paperback
Jonathan Glover focuses on the role of the individual's beliefs and actions in creating history. He rejects the idea of an objective moral law, claiming that such belief yields a "naive," "disastrous" division between morality and practical consequences. But he also fears a slide into amoralism. He advocates "humanized ethics" as an optimistic alternative that more accurately reflects our psychological complexity. He does not fully describe what the specific rules might be or how we might achieve consensus on them. But he clearly identifies the "moral resources" of sympathy and respect upon which he says we should base our "moral identities" and our moral theories.
Alienation from the moral resources contributes to the capacity for cruelty. Glover distinguishes between emotional insensibility conceived as a means to an end, that is, an aid to killing more efficiently (as in Stalinism and Maoism), and emotional insensibility conceived as an end in itself (as in Nazism, which conceived hardness as a hallmark of a new Nietzschean super-human.)
The book is a treasure trove of anecdotes and statistics about genocide. Among the most memorable anecdotes is George Orwell's story of holding his fire on an enemy who was holding up his trousers while running for safety, because the undressed enemy suddenly appeared to Orwell as a vulnerable human being who was capable of feeling indignity and fear. I learned a lot of important history and will probably use the book for reference.
My only complaints are that the philosophical discussion of pacifism, and its variants and alternatives, was not as advanced and complex as I'd hoped, and that in some places the book read more like a sensational encyclopedia of torture techniques rather than a political analysis. But it's hard to criticize this amazing interdisciplinary text, which must have been a daunting project, especially on such a weighty subject. I would enthusiastically recommend the book for people who want an introduction to philosophical theories of rational altruism and the ethics of killing. The book is unusually crisp, intelligent, and engaging, never losing sight of the real historical events that motivated Glover to write the book in the first place. I hope more philosophers follow his example.
By N. Dasilva
Format:Hardcover
Humanity, though not perfect, is an exceptional book. To be sure, Glover's writing, particularly in the early going, does come across as superficial, almost journalistic. But further into reading "Humanity," Glover's exposition becomes much more thought provoking and persuasive. It is important to note that "Humanity" is not a work of philosophical analysis. Although Glover does tackle some philosophical themes - such as the role philosophy played in the causation of the Nazi experiment, among others - "Humanity" is mostly concerned with historical presentation. And with this goal in mind, Glover does a decent job encapsulating and synthesizing the major events and schools of thought that have profoundly influenced or changed our moral outlook during 20th century.
I think "Humanity" is a book everyone should read. Some of the issues and events discussed in "Humanity" may seem obvious to some. However, if necessary, it is important to revisit these topics again. Glover describes in particularly devastating, and at times graphic, fashion the horrendous consequences of unfettered nationalism, tribalism and religious extremism. Moreover, Glover goes into detail about how people who perpetrated some of the worse atrocities of the recent century often utilized "cold jokes" and a "hardened persona" to fend off any feelings of empathy toward the people they were victimizing. Inspite of the Glover's shortcomings, which are relatively minor, I think these are lessons all of humanity should learn from and I fully recommend "Humanity."
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4.3 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Better on history than philosophy
Readers who pick up this book probably think they are going to be reading a discussion centering on ethical thinking in the 20th century with some mention of historical events. Read more
Published on May 1 2002 by Mschwindt
3.0 out of 5 stars
WOW, the obvious!
If you want to read a 400 page book that will state and re-state obvious truths that any thinking person has reached considering man's inhumanity to man, then buy this book! Read more
Published on April 10 2002 by Kenneth E. Wagner Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Der Untergang des Abendlands
This excellent book by Jonathan Glover addresses the twentieth century historical impact of what has been called "the decline of the moral ontology of Western man", most... Read more
Published on April 2 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars
The consequences of ethical ideas as documented in history
This book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in moral philosophy, moral psychology, or moral *history*. Read more
Published on Feb 6 2002 by jlowder@infidels.org
5.0 out of 5 stars
The end justifies the means
Glover describes the ethical and moral absues of the 20th century by finding common themes - rather than chronological ones - to describe the process through which so many crimes... Read more
Published on Nov 15 2001 by Alessandro Bruno
5.0 out of 5 stars
In Trying to Understand Seemingly Incomprehensible Atrocity
This book will simply give readers an idea of where and how violent, incomprehensible acts come to pass, how the perpetrators become capable of such things, and how best, as a... Read more
Published on Oct 1 2001 by Taylor Kirk
5.0 out of 5 stars
To read with eyes burning ...
Jonathan Glover's book is not quite like anything you've read on war, state terror, and genocide. The tour of twentieth-century horrors is thematic rather than chronological,... Read more
Published on Sep 6 2001 by Adam J. Jones
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Examination of Man's Inhumanity to Man
Jonathan Glover has written an interesting and lively chronicle of the twentieth century using the prism of morality as his filter. Read more
Published on July 11 2001 by Edward Garea
2.0 out of 5 stars
War is bad.
I should preface my review by mentioning that I am, at present and for all eternity, on page 131. This book contains encyclopedia entries on the major world figures and historic... Read more
Published on May 25 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Excellent. Extremely well written. A philosophy book that is a real page turner. Like a great novel you will find it hard to put down, but weeks later you will find yourself... Read more
Published on April 15 2001 by Jim Veitch
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