After the Terror

By Ted Honderich

Book Overview

After the Terror asks why the events of September 11th were wrong and what terrorism tells us about ourselves and our moral obligations. This philosophical and moral reflection by Ted Honderich - truly described by CounterPunch in America as Britain's outstanding radical philosopher - is moral philosophy that engages with reality. It reaches to the moral core of our lives. Ted Honderich does not respect the moral confidence of our leaders and others. He defends a morality of humanity that requires us to think about our lives, and to act up against our democratic governments.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0773527346
• ISBN13: 9780773527348
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Moral philosopher thinks about terrorism

Looks at the moral issues around terrorism. Deals with questions like: what is to count as a 'good life'? Why is terrorism morally wrong? To what extent are Western countries materially and morally responsible for the terrorism they experience? Under what conditions is terrorism morally justified? What kind of opposition to one's own state is morally justified? Honderich is a consequentialist: his "principle of humanity" is that we should attempt to drag people out of "bad lives".

For anyone struggling to make sense of September 11th

Now in a newly expanded and revised edition, After The Terror questions what terrorism tells us about our moral obligations. Postulating that the harsh realities of terrorism pit a "morality of humanity" that emphasizes sympathy and generosity against conventional, unreflective morality, After The Terror explores the philosophical side of what to do, and revises philosophical principles to better explain human actions that are ruthless to the point of inexplicable. More a call for a discussion of ideas and foundations than a direct exhortation for political action, After The Terror is nevertheless a "must-read" for anyone struggling to make sense of the September 11th attacks or like occurences of terrorism.

100 watt bulb in a 20 watt culture

Few academic philosophers have the guts or the sensitivity of Ted Honderich. For a profession whose Anglo-American branch proudly removed itself from mundane affairs like international politics and the fate of peoples, this little work stands in stark exception. No publication I know captures the background sense of moral reasoning shared by today's international progressive movement better than this one. Nor are the subtle but deadly shades of culpability among dominant western societies more searchingly revealed. Sure, there is material to gainsay, although the tone is often more probing than assertorial. His thrust, however, is dead-on and should help rouse an irrelevant profession from its long ideological slumber. For those willing to confront the agonizing realities of our age at eye-level, including terrorism, Honderich's remains an indispensible and provocative tool.

READ THE BOOK

Honderich says "It is a good thing, a certification, to have disapproval in some quarters." For books like After the Terror, the one-star ratings can be as telling as the thoughtful five-star reviews. People may well be uncomfortable with Honderich's analysis, but that doesn't make After the Terror a bad book. Read it - TWICE - and if still you think it's a bad book, give it one star. If it makes you feel bad, that's something entirely different.

If CNN does not limit your mind.

After Sep 11 everyone stopped asking why this happened to us, and started concentrating on the revenge war. This book shades a light on a reality that the US Media/Government tries hard to hide.