A01=Pascal Bruckner
accusation
attention-seeking
Author_Pascal Bruckner
Category=QD
Category=QDT
Christianity
community
cult of the victim
demands on others
Descartes
do Enlightenment principles lead to self-sufficiency and independence
eliminating injustice
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
fragility
has the Enlightenment failed
how the Enlightenment and French Revolution promised a world free of fatalism and fanaticism
how to be tough
how to regain our joie de vivre
how to withstand difficult circumstances
incrimination
memory pirates
narcissism
Pascal Bruckner's new book
place of religion in the contemporary world
redemption
secular civilisation
self-obsession
suffering
suffering as a common feature of the human condition
vanity
victimhood
why do we attach social cachet to being a victim in the modern world
why do we flaunt victimhood
Product details
- ISBN 9781509567164
- Weight: 454g
- Dimensions: 140 x 216mm
- Publication Date: 12 Sep 2025
- Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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In the West today, suffering has become a new sacred cow. Once a common feature of the human condition, it is now a special trait you can use to impress your contemporaries. It provides you with a borrowed identity, transforming you into an exceptional being who can show off on the public stage at little cost. Everyone flaunts their certificate of affliction, positioning themselves above their peers. Even those who are well-off and powerful seek to find a place in the aristocracy of the margins, creating new castes of the dispossessed at the expense of the truly unfortunate. Infused with bitterness, this cult of the victim glorifies the martyr figure and feeds into the passions of revenge and resentment. This is the message of our age: we are all victims and entitled to feel sorry for ourselves.
The submissive humanity of Christianity and the arrogant humanity of modernity have now been replaced by a victimized humanity allergic to distress. Pampered, coddled, raised in fear and sensitivity, how will younger generations be able to confront the chaotic world that awaits them, marked by war, violence, terrorism and climate chaos? Who will teach them the courage to endure, to face setbacks head-on, without faltering in the face of misfortune?
The submissive humanity of Christianity and the arrogant humanity of modernity have now been replaced by a victimized humanity allergic to distress. Pampered, coddled, raised in fear and sensitivity, how will younger generations be able to confront the chaotic world that awaits them, marked by war, violence, terrorism and climate chaos? Who will teach them the courage to endure, to face setbacks head-on, without faltering in the face of misfortune?
Pascal Bruckner is the bestselling author of many books including The Tyranny of Guilt, Perpetual Euphoria and The Fanaticism of the Apocalyse.
