Evil and Human Agency: Understanding Collective Evildoing (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies) [Paperback]

Arne Johan Vetlesen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 19, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0521673577 | ISBN-13: 978-0521673570

Arne Johan Vetlesen argues that to do evil is to intentionally inflict pain on another human being, against his or her will, and cause serious and foreseeable harm. Vetlesen investigates why and in what sort of circumstances such a desire arises, and how it is channeled, or exploited, into collective evildoing. He argues that such evildoing, pitting whole groups against each other, springs from a combination of character, situation, and social structure. Vetlesen shows how closely perpetrators, victims, and bystanders interact, and how aspects of human agency are recognized, denied, and projected by different agents.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is an excellent and brave contribution to a complex topic - balanced, well-argued, informative. I recommend it to all philosophers, sociologists, and psychologists who have research interests in understanding large-scale atrocities."
Claudia Card, Philosophy Review

Book Description

In this provocative and original approach to understanding evil, Professor Vetlesen investigates why and in what sort of circumstances such a desire arises, and how it is channeled, or exploited, into what he calls collective evildoing. A philosophical approach inspired by Hannah Arendt, a psychological approach inspired by C. Fred Alford and a sociological approach inspired by Zygmunt Bauman is brought to bear on the Holocaust and ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia. Here, Vetlesen shows how closely perpetrators, victims, and bystanders interact. An important book with wide appeal.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (December 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521673577
• ISBN-13: 978-0521673570
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,330,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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