A Call to Dissent

A rallying cry to defend democracy from the evils of authoritarianism, prejudice, bigotry and apathy Dogmatism, prejudice and bigotry are becoming ever more evident in Western politics. Divisive governments looking to cement their power strive to close down anyone who disagrees with them: political opponents, members of their own parties, the mainstream media, educators, protesters and, ultimately, voters. A Call to Dissent defends dissent as an essential part of democracy. Stuart Sim argues that the political left are falling into despair in the face of growing right-wing populism and extremism, rather than challenging and standing up to it. Taking a wide view, he identifies how dissent works in philosophy, religion, science and the arts as well as in politics. Ultimately, he calls on all of us to become dissenters ourselves in order to challenge authority and counter the growth of prejudice and bigotry in public life. Stuart Sim is widely published in the fields of critical theory, literary studies and philosophy and is a Fellow of the English Association. He is the author of Fundamentalist World: The New Dark Age of Dogma (2004), Manifesto for Silence: Confronting the Politics and Culture of Noise (2007) and Insatiable: The Rise and Rise of the Greedocracy (2017).