ENRAGEMENT

Emily Katz Anhalt, Enraged: Why Violent Times Need Ancient Greek Myths (New Haven & London: Yale U. Press, 2017) ("Rage has been and always will be a force in human life and a threat to the well-being of individual and groups . . . For some, rage may be addictive. Undoubtedly, there will always be bullies and tyrants, thugs and criminals, sociopaths and psychopaths. The question is whether our stories encourage us to admire or condemn them, to emulate or despise them." "The ancient Greeks saw everywhere the horrendous consequences of the brutal, tyrannical use of power. They began to reject autocracy, and they ultimately developed radically democratic political institutions out of hierarchical, undemocratic social structures and priorities. But the Greeks also understood, as by now we must, that people do not put down their weapons and set aside their anger overnight merely because they suddenly have an opportunity to cast a vote." Id. at 184-195.).