The power of violence. On some reflections of Gunther Anders

Violence manifests itself in many forms but in modern times it has to be faced mainly as political power and technological development. Both forms of power demote the human individual to an "inferior" being, diminished in potential and in nature. This thoughtless and superficial diminution risks creating something inhuman and monstrous, as happened under Nazism with its totalitarian system, and then occurred again with the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But the problem does not reside only in the past, and the threat is all too present and must be faced with seriousness and determination. With impeccable theoretical consistency and deep moral sense, Anders reflects on the obligation that in order to recover man's humanity against technocratic and political violence, it is necessary to resort by actions that are in turn also "violent" in order to be genuinely effective.