Dimensions of Evil: Contemporary Perspectives

From natural catastrophes to horrific human violence to death- dealing social systems evil calls out ever more dramatically for explanation and understanding. Yet despite millennia of reflection no consensus has developed on the character and dynamics of evil. This masterful survey volume composes a framework that separates out for analysis the many dimensions and aspects of the question of evil and then interrogates the best philosophers theologians psychologists and social scientists of the last one hundred years on the question. Coopers interdisciplinary focus captures insights from theology philosophy and psychology and overcomes the ghettoization of the question. His clear distinction of evil in natural personal and social realms allows readers to sort through the many layers and mechanisms of evil and the helpful perspectives that illuminate our world today.