Abstract
Violence seems to be such that, once it has set in, it is hard to extract. Getting rid of violence appears
to require violence. It reproduces only itself. Peace appears but a sheep exposed to predators. If the
world were to abruptly become peaceful, it would only await the next Thrasymachus to reimpose
tyranny. This sticky nature of violence and how to cope with it are the most potent themes of this
much-needed work. It provides a fair though critical overview of the subject of politics and violence
through history. Violence and Political Theory examines a judicious selection of political thinkers, from
Hobbes and Locke to Gandhi and Ruddick, on their notions of the role of violence in political life.