cover image Politics of Fear

Politics of Fear

Frank Furedi. Continuum, $27.95 (197pp) ISBN 978-0-8264-8728-5

Furedi, prolific author and professor of sociology at the University of Kent at Canterbury, wants people to believe in themselves again and to govern accordingly-in short, to stop being afraid. Trite as that may sound, Furedi's arguments are cogent, and rather than delving into the dense language of political theory and history, Furedi bypasses conventional left vs. right thinking and pontificates on the rifts in contemporary politics by examining the ways we commonly think about ourselves. Fear, Furedi writes, is the hallmark of contemporary western society (his arguments being strictly intended for those in the ""free"" world), citing as symptoms the fear of scientific and social progress (notably in a string of successful disaster flicks), using personal likes and dislikes to evaluate political candidates, and how terms of fear and mistrust have become common parlance for discussing politicians' merits. A new Enlightenment, in short, is Furedi's cure, but his thoughts on ushering in the new, while noble and largely apolitical, rely on ""decent people who believe in their humanity and are willing to go against the grain. One step at a time."" Forcefully argued, Furedi's book is a thoughtful, if idealistic, consideration of the prevalence of fear mongering.