This book pursues the problem of whether violence can be understood to be constitutive of its own sense or meaning, as opposed to being merely instrumental. Dodd draws on the resources of phenomenological philosophy, and takes the form of a series of dialogues between figures both inside and outside of this tradition. The central figures considered include Carl von Clausewitz, Carl Schmitt, Hannah Arendt, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernst Jünger, and Martin Heidegger, and the study concludes with an analysis of the philosophy of Jan Patocka.

James Dodd is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research, New York, USA.

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Reflections on Violence

Chapter One: Schmitt's Challenge (Clausewitz, Schmitt)

Chapter Two: On Violence (Arendt, Sartre)

Chapter Three: On the Line (Jünger, Heidegger)

Chapter Four: Violence and Responsibility (Patocka)

Conclusion: Six Problems of Violence

Notes

Bibliography

Index