The Fury of âRessentimentâ: Binary Codes, Evil and Society

Spiros Gangas

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Chapter 8 The Fury of âRessentimentâ: Binary Codes, Evil and Society

äºPerspectives on Evil

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Spiros Gangas

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Page Range:: 171â194

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004409262_010

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Abstract

In this chapter I shall attempt to rethink the problem of evil through Max Schelerâs idea of ressentiment. It seems that ressentiment is pertinent to approaches to evil, primarily because heinous mass murders (genocides, ethnic cleansing, racist and religious pogroms) are rooted in powerful negative feelings which aim at devaluing the âotherâ. I shall focus here on another facet of ressentiment: It concerns agents who conveniently blame institutions, which are held responsible for all sorts of misfortunes. Using Luhmannâs systems theory we can surmise that ressentiment may stem from the rigid binary code which sets a social systemâs self-definition in motion. Systemically coded dualisms (âleft-rightâ, âprogressives-conservativesâ, âpublic-privateâ) and the âabsoluteâ âgood-evilâ opposites which they yield give rise to feelings of ressentiment among groups and collectivities and shipwreck important reforms that would mitigate suffering. I shall argue therefore that if the category of evil is sufficiently widened to include the ressentiment problematic, then it can equip social scientists with better moral resources grounded also on significant empirical findings (e.g. Wilkinson and Pickettâs The Spirit Level). These findings bear on how âinequality gets under the skinâ leading to pathological re-affirmations of the self through the systematic devaluation of the âotherâ. In the context of Wilkinson and Pickettâs work, I will also draw on examples of ressentiment from contemporary Greece with reference to: a) the unexpected rise of Nazi sympathizers; b) the stringency of the âpublic-privateâ rhetoric (coded as an absolute dichotomy by the Greek Left) and its negative impact for several âressentimentâ-based polarizations within Greek society.

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Perspectives on Evil

From Banality to Genocide

ä¸ç¼ï¼ At the Interface / Probing the Boundaries, å·ï¼ 103

ISBN:: 9789004409262

åºçç¤¾:: Brill

å°å·åºçæ¥æ:: 30 Sep 2019

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Chapter 8 The Fury of âRessentimentâ: Binary Codes, Evil and Society

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