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Fearing well is at the core of what it means to be responsible; the avoidance of fear causes some of the greatest dangers. Learning to fear well requires proper understanding of the extent to which fearing is an interpersonal practice. Ami Harbin interweaves insights from philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, political theory, and mindfulness research to grapple with what kind of fearers we want to be and become and what we owe each other when facing what we cannot control.
List of contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: Where Do Fears Come From?
- 1. A Picture of Acquisition: Identity and Independence
- 2. Perceived and Actual Threats
- 3. Coming to Fear Things Together
- 4. Conclusion
- Chapter 2: What Is Fearing?
- 1. Fears, Causes, and Objects
- 2. Fear and Embodiment
- 3. Fearing with Others
- 4. Conclusion
- Chapter 3: Compelling Fears
- 1. Nonstatistical Threats
- 2. Know Better, Fear Less
- 3. Displacement
- 4. Compelling Fears
- 5. Conclusion
- Chapter 4: Controlling Threats
- 1. Removal
- 2. Escape
- 3. Destruction
- 4. Assimilation
- 5. Overpowering
- 6. Damage of Control
- 7. Conclusion
- Chapter 5: Fearing Better
- 1. Developing Awareness of Our Practices and Habits of Compelling Fears
- 2. Alternative Modes of Fearing Together
- 3. Fearing Crisis Together
- 4. Conclusion
- Notes
- References
About the author
Ami Harbin is associate professor of Philosophy and Women and Gender Studies at Oakland University (MI), and author of Disorientation and Moral Life (Oxford, 2016).
Summary
Fearing is a central part of how we relate to each other and the unpredictable world. Fearing badly is a key part of many of our moral failures and fearing better a central part of our moral repair. We might think that fearing is undesirable and should be avoided whenever possible, but, as Ami Harbin argues, avoiding fear causes some of our greatest threats.
Fearing well is at the core of what it means to be responsible. By understanding fear as a relational practice, we can see that our relationships with other fearers shape what we fear, what fear feels like, how we identify and understand our fears, and how we cope with them. Bringing insights from philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, political theory, and mindfulness research, Harbin guides readers in coming to grips with what kind of fearers we want to be and become and what we owe each other when facing what we cannot control. Grounded in real-life cases that will be of interest to many readers--policing, prisons, pandemic, vaccination, borders, migration, parenting, gender, sexuality, health care systems, and more--this text addresses the moral quandaries and complexities of the ethics of fearing together.
