Evil : a philosophical investigation / Luke Russell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Russell, Luke, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Good and evil.

Physical Description:

vii, 236 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2014.

Summary:

When asked to describe wartime atrocities, acts of terrorism, and serial killers, many of us reach for the word "evil." But what does it mean to say that an action or a person is evil? Some philosophers have claimed that there is no such thing as evil, and that thinking in terms of evil is simplistic and dangerous. In response to this sceptical challenge, Luke Russell shows that concept of evil has a legitimate place within contemporary secular moral thought. In this book he addresses questions concerning the nature of evil action, such as whether evil actions must be incomprehensible, whether evil actions can be banal, and whether there is a psychological hallmark that distinguishes evils from other wrongs. Russell also explores issues regarding the nature of evil persons, including whether every evil person is an evildoer, whether every evil person is irredeemable, and whether a person could be evil merely in virtue of having evil feelings. The concept of evil is extreme, and is easily misused. Nonetheless, Russell suggests that it has an important role to play when it comes to evaluating and explaining the worst kind of wrongdoing. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 The Secular Moral Concept of Evil 9

2 Evil Action 31

3 Evil, Extremity, and Incomprehensibility 49

4 Thick and Thin Accounts of Evil Action 69

5 Assessing Thick and Thin Accounts 93

6 Conceptual Pluralism about Evil Action 112

7 Aggregative Accounts of Evil Personhood 133

8 Dispositional Accounts of Evil Personhood 154

9 Evil Feelings 176

10 Evil and Explanation 196

11 Doing Away with Evil? 217.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780198712480

0198712480

OCLC:

867613034