Evil

Shortcuts to a Big Idea
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-04964-7
Verlag: Taylor & Francis

Buch, Englisch, 184 Seiten, Format (B × H): 129 mm x 198 mm

Reihe: Shortcuts

What is evil and how can it be understood? What is the real evil, if it exists? This concise book provides a map to understanding the complex phenomenon of evil. It brings together perspectives on evil as a social construction and a reality, and examines popular views of evil emerging from exorcism, occultism, and conspiracy theories.

By expert author Adam Possamai, Evil connects deep philosophical and theological theories with our everyday life experience, both mainstream and at the margins of our society. It outlines evil in philosophy and theology, and explores the idea that there is evil in all of us. Key topics covered include: Biological and psychiatric factors discussed in the literature behind serial killing, serial rape, torture, and mass murders; how labelling people or groups as evil has been used as a tool for social control, from the labelling of women as witches to claims about public figures on social media; popular culture as a way to provide a safe and vicarious experience with evil; and evil as a source of power, aestheticism and playfulness for counter-cultural groups and artists.

Evil is an essential introduction for those studying the problem of evil and suffering on a wide range of courses in sociology, philosophy, theology, anthropology, and psychology. It also provides insight for cultural studies and English literature courses on the gothic and popular culture, as well as all those fascinated by good, evil and morality.

Zielgruppe

General, Postgraduate, and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Possamai, Adam

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Ethik, Moralphilosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein Gesellschaftstheorie
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Religionssoziologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Alternative Glaubensformen Satanismus und Dämonologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsethik, Weltethos

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Evil in Philosophy and Theology: Christian Theology, Natural and Moral Evil, Beyond Good and Evil, and Non-Christian Theologies 2. Beyond Nature and Nurture: The Evil Gene, Group Dynamics, and Terrorism 3. The Banality of Evil: Reason and Bureaucracy, Milgram and Zimbardo, and Evil on the Battlefield 4. Evil as a Tool for Social Control: Propaganda and Partisan Politics, Crime and the Devil, Conspiracy Theories, and Historical Revisionism 5. Evil as a Supernatural Force: Ghosts and Demons, Occultism and Adorcism, Exorcism, Satanism and Black Magic, the Satanic Scare, and the Devil as Scapegoat 6. Evil as Aestheticism and Transgression: Hell’s Iconography, the Evil of Banality, Gothic Literature and Horror Movies, Violence and Entertainment, and Moral Panics in Popular Culture

Über Autor(innen)

Adam Possamai FASSA is a Professor in Sociology at Western Sydney University (WSU) and the Deputy Dean of the School of Social Sciences. He is renowned internationally for his work on popular religion, social theory, contemporary religion and Australian Aboriginal Peoples, and Muslim laws and society. He is a former President of the International Sociological Association’s Committee 22 on the Sociology of Religion, and of the Australian Association for the Study of Religions.