Evil: A History

by Andrew Chignell (Editor)

The code of conduct for a leading tech company famously says "Don't Be Evil." But what exactly is evil? Is it just badness by another name--the shadow side of good? Or is it something more substantive--a malevolent force or power at work in the universe? These are some of the ontological questions that philosophers have grappled with for centuries. But evil also raises perplexing epistemic and psychological questions. Can we really know evil? Does a victim know evil differently than a perpetrator or witness? What motivates evil-doers? Satan's rebellion, Iago's machinations, and Stalin's genocides may be hard to understand in terms of ordinary reasons, intentions, beliefs, and desires. But what about the more "banal" evils performed by technocrats in a how do we make sense of Adolf Eichmann's self-conception as just an effective bureaucrat deserving of a promotion? A History collects thirteen essays that tell the story of evil in western thought, starting with its origins in ancient Hebrew wisdom literature and classical Greek drama all the way to Darwinism and Holocaust theory. Thirteen interspersed reflections contextualize philosophical developments by looking at evil through the eyes of animals, poets, mystics, witches, librettists, film directors, and even a tech product manager. A History will enlighten readers about one of the most alluring and difficult topics in philosophy and intellectual life, and will challenge their assumptions about the very nature of evil.

523 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 16, 2019

Reviews

[Tony Gualtieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Eurocentric history mainly focusing on why evil exists and how philosophers such as Plato, Plotinus, Augustine, and others up through Kant and the 19th century Germans, delt with the metaphysical implications of its existence. There's no mention of more recent philosophers.

Most of the essays are quite good, and repetition between differently authored chapters is kept to a minimum. Between the philosophical works, there are pieces called "Reflections," which give shorter meditations on various aspects of evil in literature and society. It's a shame that Buddhist and other non-European viewpoints were not included as much of the metaphysics is grounded in Judeo-Christian theodicy.

Given the course of recent history, it's ironic to read Gabriel Motzkin on "Evil After the Holocaust," which never mentions Zionism while at the same time perfectly describing the malignant evil of Israel's genocide based on dehumanizing the indigenous population.

[Jiji (=^ェ^=) · Rating 4 out of 5]

read the part on hannah arendt and karl jaspers' correspondence and it got me into the problem of evil. thank you andrew chignell