Recognizing Resentment

'Anger and resentment are often regarded as dangerous and unwelcome passions, but Michelle Schwarze shows that, when properly understood and circumscribed, they can and should play a key role in liberal political theory and practice. This book is a brilliant example of how the history of political thought, when done well, can reframe and illuminate contemporary politics.' Dennis Rasmussen, Syracuse University
'Michelle Schwarze's insightful and accessible study of resentment deserves a wide audience. Historians of ideas will benefit from its compelling treatment of Butler's innovative moral theory. Political theorists will benefit from its fruitful contributions to recent debates over the place of affect in liberal political theory. All in all, this book very successfully makes its case that resentment plays a crucial and perhaps even indispensable role in a just society.' Ryan Hanley, Boston College
'Michelle Schwarze considers and goes beyond the thought of moral sentimentalists Joseph Butler, David Hume, and Adam Smith to make the case for a fuller account of resentment and its appropriate role in bringing our moral obligations home to us. This spirited book has something to say both to scholars of the Scottish Enlightenment and to political scientists thinking about the role of anger in alternately undermining and sustaining the ties of moral community in a liberal democracy.' Thomas W. Merrill, American University