On Evil (Thinking in Action) by Adam Morton

by Adam Morton

Evil has long fascinated psychologists, philosophers, novelists and playwrights but remains an incredibly difficult concept to talk about.
On Evil is a compelling and at times disturbing tour of the many faces of evil. What is evil, and what makes people do awful things? If we can explain evil, do we explain it away? Can we imagine the mind of a serial killer, or does such evil defy description? Does evil depend on a contrast with good, as religion tells us, or can there be evil for evil's sake?
Adam Morton argues that any account of evil must help us understand three things: why evil occurs; why evil often arises out of banal or everyday situations; and how we can be seen as evil. Drawing on fascinating examples as diverse as Augustine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, psychological studies of deviant behaviour and profiles of serial killers, Adam Morton argues that evil occurs when internal, mental barriers against it simply break down. He also introduces us to some nightmare people, such as Adolf Eichmann and Hannibal Lecter, reminding us that understanding their actions as humans brings us closer to understanding evil.
Exciting and thought-provoking, On Evil is essential reading for anyone interested in a topic that attracts and repels us in equal measure.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

yeah i read this for my philosophy class but i'm gonna count it though

[Ксения Чистопольская · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author gives very simple examples, but I couldn't understand what's the difference for him between wrong and evil. Hiroshima's bombings were "just" wrong. First I thought the point is in the intent, but no, asocial personalities do evil without intent to humiliate, the author says. It seems he doesn't know what putability is when talking of the serial killers. And he fantasizes a lot, it may be ok for a philosopher, but I am a psychologist.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Evil is a very thoughtful book. I read it six years ago and was only mildly enthused about it at the time, but it stuck in my mental craw and has proven a lasting influence on how I think about human behavior and Man's dark side.

I highly recommend this book. It's small size belies the juiciness of thought contained therein.

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very little value to be extracted. Half of the book is basic scenario examples with expected and uninteresting conclusions.
I'll save you the bore and sum it up:
'Sometimes people do bad things but they don't realise it was bad. Sometimes people do bad things and they justify it. Sometimes people are convinced to do bad things. Sometimes people do bad things because they don't care about other people. It's not good to hurt people so we shouldn't do it.'

[Shawn Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes you realise how difficult it is to define evil. The book would not give an ultimate meaning of evil, but gives you a time to think about it.

[Audrey Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for class, it was better than I initially thought, and has some very interesting ideas.

[anya · Rating 1 out of 5]

not sure if the best way to figure out how to define evil is to read a book written by a white man with no ounce of the sympathy he begs his readers to have but to each their own

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was read for a course I am taking on Evil and I found the book, written by a philospher and maybe also a psychologist is mind opening and thought provoking but I feel the writer makes assumptions and uses definitions that are his own - not always agreeing with my dictionary.

This coming week we discuss the book in class and maybe my view will change - It was none the less worth the read. It was positively thought provoking.

Also maybe perspective will be better by the end of the course - this is the first book of five.

I will have a better picture on thinking to suggest it to others at the end of the course too.