Daniel J. Kapust: Flattery and the History of Political Thought: That Glib and Oily Art. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2016. Pp. 230.)

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 354-356
Author(s):  
John Warner
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
History Of Political Thought ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
History Of

Fear of Enemies and Collective Action. By Ioannis D. Evrigenis. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 256p. $85.00.

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-167
Author(s):  
Ivan Ermakoff
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
Group Formation ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
History Of Political Thought ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
Inflection Points ◽  
History Of ◽  
Positive Knowledge

This book may be read from two complementary and enlightening perspectives: as a history of political thought centered on the role played by fear in group formation, and as a theoretical treatise on “negative association,” that is, collective action based on a principle of identification in opposition to others. Both perspectives sustain each other. The first draws attention to a rich and insightful reinterpretation of classical and lesser-known texts. The peculiarity of this history of political thought is that it records not inflection points but continuity and resilience. The second perspective is intended to bring about positive knowledge. This conflation of genres is an appealing facet of the book. In tracing a continuity of thought, Ioannis Evrigenis purports to demonstrate the validity of a theoretical claim about the centrality of negative association. By the same token, the historical exposé lays bare the set of premises that sustains the claim.

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