It is commonly believed that emotions and politics are a dangerous combination, characteristic only of aggressive societies. In her book, Martha Nussbaum aims to refute this thesis and prove that any political principles need emotional support.

She draws from the examples of leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Martin Luther King Jr., who managed to connect political emotions with aspirations for universal peace and justice, rather than with belligerent projects aimed against other nations.

The author also refers to anthropological research that suggests the tendency to build harmful hierarchies and discrimination is rooted in human nature. However, she proposes to counter these tendencies by cultivating love and expanded compassion—first towards fellow citizens and then towards people of other nations.

The main tools for cultivating these feelings should be various forms of public art—from poems, novels, monuments, and memorials to Bollywood films.

Martha Nussbaum is a philosopher and a professor at the University of Chicago.