Fear is a powerful emotion. It can save lives. But it also "robs us of our freedom" and undermines that essential social glue: trust. Bertrand Russell once said that "to conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom". Svendsen agrees. In this brief yet wide-ranging and insightful book, he argues convincingly that we need to replace the risk society with a ... Read moreculture of hope and trust. The Guardian ... an enjoyable, well-written and compelling tour of philosophical treatments of fear harnessed to an emphasis on the social consequences of living against a background state of fear. Scholarly yet accessible, this book offers subtle philosophical exploration alongside examples from novels, films and other popular media, while avoiding preachiness or doom-mongering Times Higher Education Svendsen's thougtful and well written book analyzes the nature of fear and how it has saturated every layer of our life-world. Metapsychology Show Less