Peter Jones

Aristotle’s account of hatred perfectly fits Sussex University students

[Photo: Sonali Fernando] 
issue 16 October 2021

Professor Kathleen Stock of Sussex University is accused by a group of students of being transphobic and a danger to transgender people because she believes that people cannot change their biological sex. ‘We’re not up for debate,’ the students said. ‘We cannot be reasoned out of existence.’ This, in Aristotle’s terms, is pure hatred.

In his Art of Rhetoric, Aristotle tackled the emotions and made a most instructive distinction between hatred and anger.

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