On Irrational Hatreds, Reasonable Hatreds, Rational Hatreds, and Other Hatreds

Reflections on Hatred and Wrath. Unleashed Furies in Today’s Democracy by Guillermo Lariguet

Abstract

In his work Hatred and Wrath: Unleashed Furies in Today’s Democracy, Guillermo Lariguet makes a conceptual distinction between anger and hatred: while anger arises from real injustice and is based on true reasons, hatred originates in merely apparent injustice and is grounded in false narratives. According to Lariguet, only anger is instrumental to democracy, while hatred poses a threat. However, as I attempt to demonstrate in this essay, this theoretical framework is limited when it comes to addressing the heterogeneity and variations of hatred, as well as its impact on democratic life. There are hatreds so primitive and tribal that they do not even respond to an apparent injustice nor are they based on false narratives. There are also hatreds that, although fueled by simplistic and erroneous narratives, originate in real injustices. At the opposite extreme of irrationality, we find cases of hatred linked to reasonable injustices (neither objective nor merely apparent) and justified narratives, as well as rational hatreds stemming from real injustices and true narratives. These last two cases of hatred, as I argue, do not constitute threats to democracy; on the contrary, they may help strengthen it.