In Right and Wrong and Palestine, philosopher Ted Honderich insightfully relates four shattering current events in this articulate, well-reasoned moral and political analysis. Exploring the war in Iraq, the controversy in Palestine, and the tragic events of 9-11 and London's 7-7, Honderich proposes the discipline of philosophy to explore the great questions of right and wrong in our times.
“I See How This Ends” by Mona Damluji
Palestinian artist Heba Zagout was killed with her two young children by an Israeli airstrike on Gaza on Friday, October 13, 2023.
The past two weeks have brought unimaginable horror to the people of Palestine and to the people of Israel, a tragedy perpetrated by a fascistic regime at the expense of civillians. It's hard to know how to respond without falling into despair. Mona Damluji, author of the children's book Together, shares a response to the seige upon Gaza with a poem of anguish, of resistance, and, ultimately, of hope.
I SEE HOW THIS ENDS
BY MONA DAMLUJI
When I say Palestine,
I bear witness to the atrocities of history.
When I say Palestine,
I believe another world is possible.
When I say Palestine,
I remember how all the keys worn around their necks
once fit snugly in the palm of their hands as they arrived home.
When I say Palestine,
I see beautiful people healing tree roots torn from the land.
When I say Palestine,
I know right from wrong.
When I say Palestine,
I stand proudly on the shoulders of giants
and dig my heel into the eye of the monster.
When I say Palestine,
I mean Falastin and not occupied territories.
When I say Palestine,
I dream wide open spaces where life is thriving.
When I say Palestine,
I hear the cries of the grassroots, the unstoppable,
the victors of this moral battleground.
You can’t make me say conflict,
when I mean occupation.
You can’t make me say animal,
when I mean child.
You can’t make me say human shield,
when I mean child.
You can’t make me say body,
when I mean someone’s child was taken from them
and never returned.
You can’t make me say clash,
when I mean they dropped bombs
that flattened a city block.
You can’t make me say both sides.
You can’t make me say it’s complicated.
You can’t make me say endless cycle of violence.
When I say, I see how this ends,
I mean peace.
When I say, I see how this ends,
I mean justice.
When I say, I see how this ends,
I mean Palestine.
—Mona Damluji
October 17, 2023
Ted Honderich, one of Britain’s foremost radical philosophers, is Grote Professor Emeritus at University College London and a visiting professor at the University of Bath. He is internationally recognized for his numerous books of philosophy, including Punishment: The Supposed Justifications Revisited, Conservatism, Terrorism for Humanity, After the Terror, and How Free Are You? He is also the editor of the Oxford Companion to Philosophy.