Regarding the Pain of Others

Synopsis

A brilliant, clear-eyed consideration of the visual representation of violence in our culture, its ubiquity, meanings, and effects. In this extended study of human violence, Susan Sontag considers a question first posed by Virginia Woolf: How, in your opinion, are we to prevent war?

One of the distinguishing features of modern life is the countless opportunities we have to regard, at a distance, horrors taking place throughout the world through photographs, television, and newsprint. But are viewers inured—or incited—to violence by images of cruelty? What does it mean to care about the suffering of others far away? Regarding the Pain of Others challenges our thinking about images, war, the limits of sympathy, and the obligations of conscience.

About the Author

Susan Sontag (1933–2004) was an American writer, filmmaker, philosopher, and one of the most influential critics of her generation. She was the author of numerous works of nonfiction, including Against Interpretation and On Photography, as well as four novels, including In America, which won the National Book Award. She died in New York City in 2004.

Publisher

Picador

Publication Date

July 15, 2025

Format

Paperback

Pages

144

Subjects

Social Science · Media Studies · Violence in Society · Photography · Criticism

ISBN

9781250374721