“To resort to violence in view of outrageous events or conditions is enormously tempting because of its inherent immediacy and swiftness. It goes against the grain of rage and violence to act with deliberate speed; but this does not make it irrational. On the contrary, in private as well as public life there are situations in which the very swiftness of a violent act may be the only appropriate remedy.”

Hannah Arendt, quoted in Adbusters (via 20yardsoflinen) 

I am crazy curious about the context of this quote. As a theorist of the public and citizenship I wonder what she was specifically referring to and what kind of “violence” she is speaking of. 

(via dropouthangoutspaceout)

The quote is from “On Violence”

And I think this quote best captures what the context of the essay is:

“The very substance of violent action is ruled by the question of means and ends, whose chief characteristic, if applied to human affairs, has always been that the end is in danger of being overwhelmed by the means, which it both justifies and needs.”

(via dropouthangoutspaceout)

Source 20yardsoflinen

Notes

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