Troublemakers Av Dieter Thoma

<p>The political crises and upheavals of our age often originate from the periphery rather than the center of power. Figures like Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, and Chelsea Manning acted in ways that disrupted power, revealing truths that those in power wanted to keep hidden. They are thorns in the side of power, troublemakers in the eyes of the powerful, though their actions may be valuable and lead to positive changes.</p><p>In this important new book, Dieter Thom¿xamines the crucial but often overlooked function of these figures on the margins of society, developing a philosophy of troublemakers from the seventeenth century to the present day. Thom¿akes as his starting point Hobbes¿s idea of the <i>puer robustus</i> (literally ¿stout boy¿), meaning a figure who rebels against order and authority. While Hobbes saw the <i>puer robustus</i> as a threat, he also recognized the potential, in the right conditions, for figures to rise up and become agents of positive change. Building on t