Evil: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #712

by Luke Russell

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring

We regularly encounter appalling wrongdoing, with the media offering a depressing parade of violent assault, rape, and murder. Yet sometimes even the cynical and world-weary amongst us are taken aback. Sometimes we confront a crime so terrible, so horrendous, so deeply wrong, that we reach for the
word 'evil'. The 9/11 terrorist attacks were not merely wrong, but evil. A serial killer who tortures his victims is not merely a bad person. He is evil. And as the Holocaust showed us, we must remain vigilant against the threat of evil. But what exactly is evil? If we use the word 'evil', are we
buying into a naive Manichean worldview, in which two cosmic forces of good and evil are pitted against one another? Are we guilty of demonizing our enemies? How does 'evil' go beyond what is merely bad or wrong?

This Very Short Introduction explores the answers that philosophers have offered to these questions. Luke Russell discusses why some philosophers think that evil is a myth or a fantasy, while others think that evil is real, and is a concept which plays an important role in contemporary secular
morality. Along the way he asks whether evil is always horrific and incomprehensible, or if it can be banal. Considering if there is a special psychological hallmark that sets the evildoers apart from the rest of us, Russell also engages with ongoing discussions over psychopathy and empathy,
analysing the psychology behind evildoing.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and
enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

Published January 27, 2023

Reviews

[David A Townsend · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly linguistic gymnastics that fall flat on the mat, highlighting the banality of philosophy 101. I am not sure if there are more syllogisms or strawmen.

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

More philosophical than I was expecting but overall intriguing and thorough. The last chapter, “Are you evil? Is anyone evil?” was the best, but it was made so interesting through the understanding the earlier chapters provide.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Evil. Explained by somebody who gets paid for filling up forms. And who will also get a good pension for serving the system. Maybe there is a conflict of interests in this fallacious essay.

[Taylor Swift Scholar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was like an undergraduate seminar where the instructor writes “Evil” on the board and then you spend an hour trying to define it. I don’t think it changed my perspective on anything but I didn’t dislike it and I’ll be looking into some of the further reading.

[Paul Kerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super introductory course in the philosophical arguments around the nature of evil - with definitional analyses and clear insight into what it means to be evil.

[Wesley R · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. A lot of semantic questions and deep-dives which generally do interest me so I was pretty engaged. Overall, my biggest takeaway from reading this is that some words we use so flippantly may not be as easily understood as we think. I also thought the last chapter raised a few challenging questions, which I appreciate.

Reading some of the reviews on here, I am slightly concerned that the author may not be the best guy or best writer. Honestly, though, as a person who is interested in philosophy and sociology but hasn’t read a lot of texts on it, this book offered exactly what the title said it would: a very brief introduction into the philosophical definition and repercussions of evil.

[erkamdiyorum · Rating 3 out of 5]

---3/5---

iletişim yayınlarından çıkan, kılavuz serisi'nin 5. kitabı.

giriş seviyesinde, kötülüğün tanımının yapıldığı ve çeşitlerinden bahsedildiği bir eser. günlük hayatta yaptığımız birçok şeyin aslında kötülük olabileceğini de bu sayede yazar bize göstermiş oluyor ama katılmadığım yerleri bir hayli fazla.

[Catherine Chang · Rating 3 out of 5]

If we agree that some evil persons can’t be reformed, isn’t that the same as we agree that they are born evil?

[Roo O'brien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but I can’t help feeling it’s all semantics. In Spanish evil and wrongdoing are both ‘mal’ and so this entire idea that there is something special about ‘evil’ would not really work.

[Safa Furkan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bu konuda daha önce okuma yapmış insanlar için çok basit kaçıyor.

[Yavuz Temel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unnecessarily long. The author repeats the same ideas over and over. So except few paragraphs ı couldnt learn anything new.

[Yasemin Ugur · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Saf kötülük neden vardır?” Sorusuna felsefi açıdan farklı tanımlamalar getiren kitap! Bence tüm tanımlar doğru çünkü kötülük gerçekten var; ve bu gerçeklik ne mutlu ki ahlaki duygulara sahip bilge ve iyi insanların varlığına dayanıyor.
.
“Can yakmaktan haz almak ve pişmanlık duymamak.”