Nonviolent Perspectives

Andrew Fitz-Gibbon is one of the most important scholars thinking about peace and nonviolence. He discusses a wide variety of topics in an engaging and eye-opening manner. These essays reflect the breadth of his knowledge and the depth of his concern for building a more peaceful and loving world.”  —Andrew Fiala, PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Fresno State University “Fitz-Gibbon demonstrates that nonviolence benefits practitioners, friends, family, society, and the environment. By connecting the practice of nonviolence to his personal experience, I have a model for my practice of nonviolence. I highly recommend this volume to all students of nonviolence and those who question why anyone commits to nonviolence.” —Danielle Poe, PhD, Editor of Brill Philosophy of Peace Book Series, Professor of Philosophy, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Dayton “Andrew Fitz-Gibbon’s Nonviolent Perspectives: A Transformative Philosophy for Practical Peacemaking masterfully intertwines historical context, personal narrative, and philosophical rigor to present a nuanced vision of nonviolence. Drawing on the legacies of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gene Sharp, Fitz-Gibbon goes beyond tactical applications to explore nonviolence as a holistic way of life rooted in love, empathy, and embodied practice. His integration of somaesthetics and ethical reflections challenges readers to engage with nonviolence not just as a strategy, but as a transformative ethos. This collection is essential for anyone seeking to understand the depth and breadth of nonviolent philosophy and its practical implications for personal and societal change.” —Elyse Purcell, PhD, Associate Professor of Philosophy, SUNY-Oneonta “Nonviolent Perspectives by Andrew Fitz-Gibbon is a profoundly insightful work that brilliantly bridges philosophical thought and real-world embodied action. With clarity and compassion, Fitz-Gibbon offers a compelling vision for peace, emphasizing nonviolence as both a personal and societal transformative force. A must-read for anyone committed to genuine, loving change.” —Jennifer Kling, PhD, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Director, Center for Legal Studies, University of Colorado “Within this comprehensive set of essays, Andrew Fitz-Gibbon gives a poignant account of his personal philosophical journey while incorporating less considered intellectual traditions to put forth an understanding of nonviolence that is nuanced, sophisticated, and practical. Fitz-Gibbon clearly brings home the relevance of nonviolence for our present times. A must-read for scholars, students, and activists alike.” —Sanjay Lal, Senior Philosophy Lecturer, Clayton State University “As a scholar of nonviolence, somaesthetics, and the philosophy of love, Andrew Fitz-Gibbon shares in this new work his unwavering commitment to exploring pragmatic solutions based on a careful cross-cultural analysis. What makes his approach unique is that he offers a constructivist theory that builds on diverse peace traditions such as Early Christian pacifism, Daoism, Buddhism, and political theories such as the ethics of care.” —Mechthild Nagel, Chair of Philosophy Department and Director of the Center for Ethics, Peace, and Social Justice at SUNY Cortland “Nonviolent Perspectives is a wide-ranging, erudite, and sagacious call to irenic praxis, buttressed by decades of personal experience and brimming with profound analyses and pragmatic syntheses of salient philosophical traditions, Western and Asian alike. Andrew Fitz-Gibbon has earnestly adopted and devotedly enacted what Gandhi called ‘the divine mystery supreme’: as we change ourselves, the attitude of the world changes toward us.” —Lou Marinoff, Professor of Philosophy, The City College of New York “Over the course of these wide-ranging inquiries, the reader is invited to join Andrew Fitz-Gibbon on a critical quest for cultivation of peace in mind, body, personal habit, interpersonal care, and public practice. The result is a holistic, pragmatic nonviolence, crafted in relation to a multiplicity of sages and philosophers.” —Greg Moses, Professor of Instruction, Philosophy, Texas State University “Nonviolent Perspectives is desperately needed in our world of violence, pernicious polarization, hyper-politicization, and war. Fitz-Gibbon guides readers through a philosophically rich and spiritually deep journey toward the practice of nonviolence—rooted in love, compassion, and our shared humanity—within personal relationships, social structures, and our relationship with the earth.” —Court Lewis, Professor of Philosophy at Pellissippi State Community College