This dissertation presents an account of the important but under-theorized phenomenon of political tension, and argues that contrary to appearances, tension is in fact indispensable to a healthy political process. Though the felt aspect of political tension is often unpleasant, its responsiveness to structural properties makes it a valuable asset for the purpose of social progress. Understanding the value of tension, in turn, leads us to re-examine many common assumptions about the nature and value of social stability, the importance of democracy, and the meaning of mutual recognition.

Chapter 1 gives a characterization of the basic phenomenon, drawing on a variety of examples, most notably the American Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. A preliminary definition of political tension is proposed, and is contrasted with a variety of similar or related concepts. Chapter 2 explores the ways in which tension progresses through different stages, and further explores the claim (most famously made by Martin Luther King, Jr. in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”) that tension can be deliberately exposed and channeled for the purpose of resolving otherwise intractable political disagreements. Chapter 3 presents a conceptual argument against the notion that political arrangements can be structured in such a way as to eliminate or prevent the existence of tension. Finally, Chapter 4 introduces the idea of tension-resilience, and argues that the best defense against destructive manifestations of tension is to proactively engage with that tension in its early stages, using it as a guide for addressing hidden structural issues. A conception of mutual recognition is presented as a means of formalizing the collective values of tension-resilience. A society or organization characterized by this mutual recognition, it is argued, is one that sacrifices a degree of stability for the more important (but frequently underappreciated) value of meta-stability: that is, the ability to evolve in a well-informed, deliberate fashion.