The Polemics of Ressentiment

The Polemics of Ressentiment

by Sjoerd van Tuinen

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"The rise of populism, cynicism, fanaticism and fundamentalism challenges us to reconsider the problem of ressentiment. Characterized by Nietzsche as the self-poisoning of the will through internalising trauma in the form of a postponed and imaginary revenge, the concept of ressentiment is making a comeback in political discourse. Unlike resentment, the feeling of injustice, ressentiment is an intrinsically polemical notion. It implies a political drama in which there is no inherent good sense in its application and no universal criterion. Drawing on psychoanalysis, political theory, media theory and philosophy, this book examines a wide variety of ideological contexts, offering an examination of the divergent senses in which the concept of ressentiment is used today."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Discussion questions for The Polemics of Ressentiment

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  1. 1

    The book meticulously differentiates ressentiment from resentment. What specific aspects of van Tuinen's analysis helped you most clearly grasp this distinction, and why is this nuanced understanding crucial for political discourse today?

  2. 2

    Nietzsche characterized ressentiment as "the self-poisoning of the will through internalising trauma in the form of a postponed and imaginary revenge." Can you identify situations, either from the book's examples or from your own observations, where this psychological mechanism seems to be at work?

  3. 3

    Van Tuinen describes ressentiment as an "intrinsically polemical notion" where "there is no inherent good sense in its application and no universal criterion." How does this concept challenge our conventional ways of evaluating political grievances or moral claims?

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