Baseless Hatred. What It Is and What You Can Do about It by Rene H. Levy

by René H. Levy

What is hatred? What is baseless hatred? And how does this basic human emotion affect our relationships, our communities, and our world? In this fascinating study, pharmacological researcher Rene H. Levy looks through a scientific, sociological, and religious lens at the causes and effects of baseless hatred, and offers a prescription for preventing and repairing its damaging consequences. Levy examines the psychological and neurobiological bases of baseless hatred, and shows how it destroys interpersonal relationships. Baseless hatred is understood within Jewish tradition to have been the cause of the longest exile of the Jewish people from the Land of Israel; Levy discusses the impact of baseless hatred both from without and from within on the State of Israel, including an analysis of Islamist anti-Zionist hostility and the more recent Western antisemitic opposition as well as the new existential questions posed by the post-Zionist movement. Finally, Levy shows how the cement that has kept the Jewish people united as a nation, known as arevut, mutual responsibility, proves to be the remedy for the devastating problem of baseless hatred.

Hardcover

First published June 20, 2011

About the author

Rene H. Levy, PhD is Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington in Seattle where he served as chair of the Department of Pharmaceutics for 26 years. His interest in neuroscience grew out of his work in the field of epilepsy where he published more than 300 research articles and edited several books on the treatment of epilepsy.

Dr. Levy received numerous awards: “Ambassador for Epilepsy” in 1989, “Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science” in 2007, “Lifetime Achievement Award from the Epilepsy Foundation” in 2011, and the William G. Lennox-Cesare T. Lombroso Award, the highest award given by the American Epilepsy Society, in 2013.

In the last decade, Dr Levy drew on his interest in neuroscience to authored a first book called “Baseless Hatred: What It Is and What You Can Do About It” (Gefen Publishing).

After the 2016 election, when political hatred became a source of societal cleavage among family, friends, Dr Levy wrote “Mending America’s Political Divide,” to provide the reader not trained in science with an understanding of the barriers separating Democrat and Republican partisans, and with the “People-Over Politics Action Plan,” a stepwise approach to re-learn how to engage with and live with political disagreements.

Instagram: @mending.america

Reviews

[Lorri · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is the significance between Jews and hatred? Where did it begin, or what caused the hatred to fester within? How does Israel deal with the repercussions of hatred, from times past through modern day?

This imperative issue is dealt with in a most intelligent way, and academic way, combining theory, science and belief systems into the realm of discussion and into the mind to ponder. There are no clear cut answers, but Baseless Hatred does give much food to ponder and reflect upon.