A New Breath in Contemporary Political Philosophy: Politics of Resistance and Simon Critchley

Simon Critchley considers politics as a matter of linguistic creation with an ethical aspect. In this context, pain and anger are common emotions found in all people according to the philosopher who placed emotions based on virtuous behavior. Considering this common nature as important in terms of creating a political action, Critchley thinks that people act with the driving force created by these feelings in the face of injustice. However, the philosopher believes that an action that is purely based on anger, which has the potential to harm oneself and the environment, and that does not have a political language, will fail and he argues that liberal institutions or social groups should turn this anger into action through humor. Critchley wants to make these types of emotions, which give a central role to negative emotions such as injustice, pain and anger, a tool of social solidarity with a humorous political language and from this point, he opens the door to the politics of resistance. Resistance will also pave the way for many positive political actions, such as the creation of an interstitial distance within the state, recognition of various identities by means of this distance, and re-establishing of the corrupted justice.