Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ The Case Against Righteous Anger

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

If we witness or - worse - are the victims on an injustice, we have the right to be angry, don't we? Isn't it a natural response? Isn't it something that would be expected? Not so fast. As John Danaher summarizes, "In his fascinating book, The Geography of Morals, Owen Flanagan takes a long hard look at this positive view of anger by contrasting it with the Buddhist/Stoic view of anger... Flanagan argues that we should consider shifting our moral equilibrium. Instead of viewing righteous anger as morally necessary and occasionally positive, we should see it as potentially destructive and counter-productive." There's a lot of really good discussion in between these point. Recommended.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 23, 2024 11:39 a.m.

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