Fear: The History of a Political Idea (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Given daily terror alerts and news reports of violence, Robin, professor of political science and contributor to the New York Times Magazine, offers a sober analysis of fear's Janus-faced potential as catalyst for economic progress and the raison d'être of repressive regimes. A brilliant synthesis of historical perspective and the critically revealing story of "Fear, American Style," the account explores the classics of political thought by Hobbes, Montesquieu and Tocqueville and the portrayal of evil by Arendt in order to locate fear as the decisive underpinning of contemporary liberal theory. In doing so, Robin argues for the groundlessness of, on one hand, a "liberalism of anxiety" that perceives society as a debate over communities of identity and difference with low emphasis on social cohesion, while on the other hand a "liberalism of terror" that turns to abject evil as the summum malum grounding for morality. For Robin, both of these descriptions of political realities ignore the subtle threats fear wages in our everyday lives, most notably in the workplace. The closing chapters document how the Constitution and federalism's factionalist orientation aid that everyday fear. Conceived of before 9/11, but inclusive of its results, Robin's analysis predicts that when the war on terror does end, "we will find ourselves still living in fear."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A fascinating analysis of how we have formed many of our ideas about the role of fear in society." -- -New Statesman

"A self-help book for liberal intellectuals." -- The New York Times Book Review, November 28, 2004

"A worthy contribution to the political-philosophical literature." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Brilliant." -- -National Post

"In this original and fascinating work, Robin examines how fear represses, rather than unites, a nation." -- Library Journal

"Learned and original...Delivers trenchant and original critiques of writers who deal with fear." -- -Newsday

"Robin's account of fear in American life is refreshingly clear -- and timely." -- Tony Judt, NY Review of Books --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195189124
• ISBN-13: 978-0195189124
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #448,007 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Be Very Afraid, February 7, 2005

By	doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Fear: The History of a Political Idea (Hardcover)

Throughout history, leaders have made use of fear to consolidate their power. Repressive dictators of the Stalin variety inflict fear directly on their populations, while those of the Hitler variety enforce obedience by claiming threats from "others" either inside or outside the territory. In fact, this is taking place in America right this minute, though not in such a dictatorial fashion. Here Corey Robin constructs an initially fascinating intellectual history of the use of fear by heads of state, through the works of philosophers who have explored the concept. This includes informative and occasionally revisionist analyses of the long misinterpreted or forgotten writings of Thomas Hobbes, Baron de Montesquieu, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Hannah Arendt. The first two-thirds of the book take us on an educational journey through the political fear, terror, anxiety, and totalitarianism observed upon by these philosophers.

Unfortunately this book derails in the final third, in which Robin attempts to tie these concepts into current events, but misses the boat badly. The supposedly authoritative closing chapter is an anemic summary of the lack of privacy in the workplace and corporate actions against unions. Robin postulates that this phenomenon indicates political fear amongst the workforce, but fails to adequately explain how this is so, missing the structural phenomena engendered by the ideological and economic connections between many corporate leaders and politicians. More fundamentally, Robin leans primarily toward blaming political "liberalism" for modern political fear of any stripe. I realize that Robin uses the intellectual political science definition of "liberalism" in terms of active government, which is far less accusatory than the version of that term used by politicians and media pundits. But any criticism of the equally inclusive practice of conservatism (once again, not just the pundit's definition of the term) is strangely missing from the book, even in Robin's long discussions of the (mostly) rightist-fueled McCarthyism. This indicates a creeping personal outlook into a book that started strongly and objectively.

And finally, there is a catastrophic omission here, especially since Robin claims that the book was partially inspired by 9/11 and subsequent events - the current conservative administration's use of fear, especially of terrorist attacks, to drum up support not just for war but their own policies and political plans. Regardless of whether Robin (or the reader) would be for or against current political trends, at the most basic of levels this would be an immensely illustrative example of the use of political fear that is supposed to be the reason for this book's existence. [~doomsdayer520~]

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let this one escape you, November 23, 2004

By	Dennis R. Jugan (Johnstown, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fear: The History of a Political Idea (Hardcover)

Corey Robin began this book prior to the events of 9/11 and the politics of fear that have gripped this nation, culminating in the recent presidential election. Unfortunately, this scholarly work on the history of fear as both a political idea and a reprehensible social instrument was rather late to arrive in the recent avalanche of mostly mindless books. It has yet to be recognized for its thoughtful and lucid analysis.

Well-researched and documented by nearly 50 pages of references, it's a watershed book on this subject like no other. Seldom will you find a more thought provoking book so in tune with the times.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fear: History of a Political Idea, October 7, 2004

By	Ed Abe "Thoughtful reader" (New York area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fear: The History of a Political Idea (Hardcover)

Thought provoking and most applicable to todays times--Weapons of Mass Destruction, Terrorism,etc. Historically many political motivations are based on fear as Robin explains. A good voyage through history on Fear and how it has been used by Political figures, leaders and statesman to move the public to accept their strategies, plans and actions. Perhaps we see Robin's theory most clearly in action in this November election race.