Evil

<p>The code of conduct for a leading tech company famously says "Don't Be Evil." But what exactly <em>is</em> 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 <em>know</em> 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 collective: how do we make sense of Adolf Eichmann's self-conception as just an effective bureaucrat deserving of a promotion?</p><p><em>Evil: A History</em> 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.</p><p><em>Evil: A History</em> 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.</p>