The Routledge Handbook Of The Philosophy Of Evil

Description

Why ought we concern ourselves with understanding a concept of evil? It is an elusive and politically charged concept which critics argue has no explanatory power and is a relic of a superstitious and primitive religious past. Yet its widespread use persists today: we find it invoked by politicians, judges, journalists, and many others to express the view that certain actions, persons, institutions, or ideologies are not just morally problematic but require a special signifier to mark them out from the ordinary and commonplace. Therefore, the question of what a concept of evil could mean and how it fits into our moral vocabulary remains an important and pressing concern. The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Evil provides an outstanding overview and exploration of these issues and more, bringing together an international team of scholars working on the concept of evil. Its 27 chapters cover the crucial discussions and arguments, both historical and contemporary, that are needed to properly understand the historical development and complexity of the concept of evil. The Handbook is divided into three parts: Historical explorations of evil Recent secular explorations of evil Evil and other issues. The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Evil is essential reading for students and researchers in the fields of ethics and philosophy of psychology. It also provides important insights and background for anyone exploring the concept of evil in related subjects such as literature, politics, and religion. Cover......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Series Page......Page 3 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Table of Contents......Page 6 Notes on contributors......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 13 Historical accounts of evil......Page 14 Thinking about evil – the recent secular approach......Page 15 The purpose and structure of the Handbook......Page 17 Notes......Page 24 References......Page 25 PART I: Historical explorations of evil......Page 26 Chapter 1: Plato on evil......Page 28 Metaphysics: evil and the structure of the universe......Page 29 Evil in politics: civil strife and tyranny......Page 33 The education of desire: morality, virtue and vice......Page 37 Notes......Page 40 References......Page 41 A two-sided view......Page 43 Evil as corruption in good things......Page 44 Moral evil as disordered love......Page 46 Sin and grace......Page 47 Providence and evil......Page 49 The controversial Augustine......Page 50 Notes......Page 52 References......Page 53 For Further Reading......Page 54 The ontology and types of evil......Page 55 The causes of evil......Page 57 Evil and God......Page 59 Objections and replies......Page 63 Notes......Page 65 References......Page 66 Chapter 4: Machiavelli: The drama of politics and its inherent evil......Page 68 Machiavelli’s world......Page 69 Evil in politics: corruption, which generates tyranny......Page 71 Machiavelli’s man......Page 74 How to remain a good man while doing evil deeds......Page 76 Conclusion: the redeeming element in politics......Page 79 Notes......Page 80 References......Page 82 Chapter 5: Hobbes on evil......Page 83 Evil in moral philosophy......Page 84 Sin and temporal obligations......Page 85 Sin and spiritual obligations......Page 88 Free will, moral evil, and God’s omnipotence......Page 90 Conclusion......Page 93 References......Page 94 Introduction......Page 96 The nature of evil and its different kinds......Page 97 God’s intellect as the root of the possibility of evil......Page 99 God’s election of the best and the permission of evil......Page 102 Notes......Page 106 References......Page 107 Chapter 7: Jean-Jacques Rousseau on the origin and nature of evil......Page 110 Rousseau’s theodicy......Page 111 Rousseau’s conception of evil......Page 113 Rousseau’s genealogy of evil......Page 115 Overcoming evil......Page 116 Rousseau and our problem with evil......Page 118 Notes......Page 120 References......Page 121 Chapter 8: Kant: The evil in all of us......Page 122 Kant’s criticism of the distinction between natural and moral evil......Page 123 Evil actions and evil persons......Page 124 Radical evil......Page 127 Stages of evil and predispositions to the good......Page 129 Kant’s exclusion of the diabolical will......Page 131 Conclusion......Page 132 Notes......Page 133 References......Page 134 Chapter 9: Sade: Mushroom clouds and silver linings......Page 135 Adieu, mon dieu: a black theodicy......Page 137 When nature calls: hedonism to the hilt......Page 139 Sade beyond sadism......Page 141 From pathology to principle......Page 143 Fiction as reality’s rape......Page 144 Notes......Page 146 References......Page 147 Introduction......Page 148 Good and evil are interpretations, not realities......Page 149 Diagnosis of the moral interpretation......Page 150 A different interpretation......Page 152 Critique......Page 154 An alternative ideal and the trouble of realizing it......Page 156 Conclusion......Page 158 References......Page 159 Other references......Page 160 Chapter 11: Hannah Arendt’s double account of evil: Political superfluousness and moral thoughtlessness......Page 161 Radical evil and the systematic production of superfluousness......Page 162 Eichmann and the thoughtless banality of evil......Page 169 Notes......Page 174 References......Page 175 Natural or divine evil: Camus, Ivan Karamazov, Saint Augustine, and Doctor Rieux......Page 176 Moral or political evil: secularizing the divine right to kill......Page 179 The psychology of evil: The Fall, guilt, and the renegade......Page 183 Notes......Page 186 References......Page 187 PART II: Recent secular explorations of evil......Page 188 Introduction: the myth of evil......Page 190 The philosophy of evil......Page 192 The philosophy of dispositions......Page 195 Beyond the philosophy of monsters......Page 197 References......Page 201 The different senses of evil......Page 202 Two explananda......Page 203 Objections to using the term “evil”......Page 204 A theory of evil......Page 207 Using evil as an explanatory concept......Page 210 Notes......Page 213 References......Page 214 Chapter 15: Defining the concept of evil: Insights from our pre-cognitive responses......Page 216 The case for secular accounts of evil......Page 217 Different approaches to developing secular conceptions of evil......Page 219 The phenomenology of evil......Page 220 Defining the concept of evil......Page 222 Solving two problems for secular accounts of evil......Page 224 Final comments......Page 226 Notes......Page 227 References......Page 229 Why should we care?......Page 231 Preliminary remarks......Page 232 Four interpretations of the qualitative difference thesis......Page 233 Evil is qualitatively distinct from ordinary wrongdoing......Page 239 Notes......Page 243 References......Page 245 Action-based accounts......Page 247 Absence-based accounts......Page 249 Affective accounts......Page 250 Hybrid accounts......Page 253 Extremity accounts......Page 255 References......Page 256 Why define evil?......Page 258 The concept of evil action......Page 259 Evil and wrongdoing......Page 261 Evil and extremity......Page 262 Banality v. psychological thickness......Page 264 Hidden essences and pluralism......Page 266 References......Page 267 The concept of evil......Page 269 Four types of conceptions of evil actions......Page 270 Kramer’s mixed theory of evil actions......Page 272 Formosa’s combination theory of evil......Page 275 Notes......Page 278 References......Page 279 PART III: Evil and other issues......Page 280 Chapter 20: Evil and punishment......Page 282 Evil and the limits of philosophy......Page 283 Harm and malevolence......Page 287 Senselessness, thoughtlessness, pointlessness, and essential unjustifiability......Page 290 Evil and the severity of punishment......Page 292 Notes......Page 293 References......Page 294 Introduction......Page 295 Evil as the unforgivable......Page 296 Evils as possibly forgivable but never entailing reconciliation......Page 298 Evils as only forgivable by direct victims......Page 299 Forgiveness of evils as inevitably incomplete or untrue (especially when unilateral)......Page 300 Forgiveness of evils as an elective gift and never required......Page 301 Who benefits? Prioritizing the victims of evils......Page 303 Conclusion......Page 304 References......Page 305 Concepts of evil......Page 307 Evil and responsibility......Page 310 The general problems of determinism and moral luck......Page 311 The threat of shrinking agency......Page 313 Conclusion......Page 316 References......Page 317 Chapter 23: Evil and power......Page 319 The primacy of the whole: privatio boni and theodicies......Page 320 Freedom as absolute transgression......Page 321 Modern power and secularization of evil......Page 323 Escalating radicality......Page 324 Normality of evil......Page 326 References......Page 328 Introduction......Page 330 What is a child?......Page 331 Being evil in childhood......Page 333 Doing evil in childhood......Page 336 References......Page 339 Chapter 25: Evil’s diachronic characteristics......Page 341 Notes......Page 351 References......Page 353 Introduction......Page 355 Research on genocide and mass atrocities......Page 356 Theorizing collective evil......Page 363 Notes......Page 366 References......Page 368 Introduction......Page 373 Concepts and problems of evil......Page 374 China: Confucianism and Daoism......Page 375 Indian thought: Hinduism and Buddhism......Page 379 Islamic philosophy......Page 383 Judaism......Page 387 Conclusions......Page 390 Notes......Page 391 References......Page 392 Index......Page 394