War and Negative Revelation: A Theoethical Reflection on Moral Injury

Michael S. Yandell's phenomenology of "negative revelation" in war reveals the presence of goodness and justice through the profound experience of their absence, adding a layer of complexity to the term "moral injury." He emphasizes the context and logic of war beyond the actions of individuals, particularly in the U.S. led Global War on Terror.

Format: Hardback
Length: 146 pages
Publication date: 15 March 2022
Publisher: Lexington Books

Michael S. Yandell develops a phenomenology of "negative revelation" by drawing from his firsthand experience of war. He argues that false or distorted claims of goodness and justice crumble within the realm of conflict, losing their meaning entirely. Yandell contends that the breakdown of meaning in war itself holds significance, with "revealing" emerging as a means to signify the presence of goodness and justice in the face of their absence through a profound and painful experience. This groundbreaking work adds a new layer of complexity to the concept of "moral injury" as a negative revelation. Yandell delves beyond the actions of individual soldiers and emphasizes the broader context and logic of war itself. He pays particular attention to the U.S.-led Global War on Terror, shedding light on the ways in which conflicts diminish the very essence of life. Moral injury as a negative revelation encompasses the disintegration of false normative claims of goodness and justice, as well as a dissolution of one's sense of self that was once oriented toward those claims. This disintegration is triggered by the stark realization of the diminished value of life in the midst of war.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793641922