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Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty Paperback – March 19, 1999

by Roy F. Baumeister Ph.D. (Author), Aaron Beck (Foreword)

41 customer reviews

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Why is there evil, and what can scientific research tell us about the origins and persistence of evil behavior? Considering evil from the unusual perspective of the perpetrator, Baumeister asks, How do ordinary people find themselves beating their wives? Murdering rival gang members? Torturing political prisoners? Betraying their colleagues to the secret police? Why do cycles of revenge so often escalate?

Baumeister casts new light on these issues as he examines the gap between the victim's viewpoint and that of the perpetrator, and also the roots of evil behavior, from egotism and revenge to idealism and sadism. A fascinating study of one of humankind's oldest problems, Evil has profound implications for the way we conduct our lives and govern our society.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Roy F. Baumeister, Ph.D., holds the E. B. Smith Professorship in Liberal Arts at Case Western Reserve University. Since receiving his doctorate in social psychology from Princeton University, he has received numerous fellowships and awards. He has published nearly 150 scientific works and is cited in numerous sources in the popular media. Baumeister has authored or co-authored nine other books, including Losing Control: How and Why Self-Regulation Fails and Meanings of Life. He lives on the shores of the Great Lakes.

Dr. Aaron T. Beck, M.D., the Father of Cognitive Therapy, is University Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, and President of The Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy. He is the author and co-author of twelve books and over 350 articles and chapters.

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (March 19, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805071652
ISBN-13: 978-0805071658
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 41 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #28 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Good & Evil
- #226 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > Social Psychology & Interactions
- #241 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Anthropology > Cultural

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Philip Kahn

A tour de force that connects evil to loss of self control

December 12, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is a tour de force. I will address the comments by the few reviewers that gave low ratings that others thought were helpful.

Baumeister is a very well known psychology academic. He pioneered a whole area of psychology focussed on willpower and self control. He has a NY Times bestseller entitled Willpower. Self control is a primary predictor of success, health, happiness, incarceration, effectiveness, etc.

This book on evil is built on Baumeister’s work on self control. Those that claim the book makes unsubstantiated claims failed to look at the bibliography and source material this foremost academic psychologist brings to bear on the subject of evil. Tje idea that evil is caused by a failure of self control is nuanced, actionable, and supported widely in studies on the subject (eg, such as the Stanford Prison study).

I have had contact with evil in my life, and there is a scale as discussed in the book. The book is an effective look into the causes of evil actors in our world. If we betternunderstood these ideas, perhaps we could do a better job at identifying them to stop some of their harm. For example, the root causes of most gun violence in the US is explained in this book.

5 people found this helpful6 people found this helpful

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April

Prescient

August 13, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Instead of making metaphysical claims as to the causes of evil, Dr. Baumeister instead suggests that we know evil by the validity of the claims of victims, which he isn't shy of saying are designed to distort reality, for a variety of reasons, but still have merit as such. He highlights four Root Causes of evil, which any reader would recognize from a cursory glance of history or contemporary politics and the motivations of leaders and politicians who we imagine have wronged us in some way, or those idealistic ideologues who would if only their bad ideas were enacted as policy.

One person found this helpful2 people found this helpful

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Donny Rice

Deep and dark and enlightening.

January 15, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book has helped me expand my understanding of how people commit and rationalize violent / harmful acts. The darker part is turning it in on my own misdeeds in life and figuring what my thought processes were at the time.

3 people found this helpful4 people found this helpful

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Elizabeth C Brinkley

I liked the book so much I bought it again when ...

August 28, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I liked the book so much I bought it again when someone borrowed it and didn't return. I first read the book several years ago, but is timely reading now.

2 people found this helpful3 people found this helpful

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DeDragon

One of the most interesting books I've ever read!

January 10, 2003

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I picked up this book thinking it would be a study of serial killers or something. I was happily surprised to find a well written book about the myth of evil. Baumiester does a good job of introducing difficult concepts that challenge our belief systems. One particularly interesting facet of his theory is the "perception gap" between the victims of evil and the perpetrators of evil. Baumiester uses both scientific research and real-life examples (O.J., Sadaam Hussien, Bosnia) to illustrate his points, making the information very accessible. As a writer, I found the information on what causes people to commit evil actions fascinating and helpful in creating fictional characters with dimension. As a someone who works in the prevention field, I applied his theory about egotism and violence to school bullies. This book is a must read for writers, teachers, law enforcement, prevention specialist, counselors and so forth. This book will definately make you think.

11 people found this helpful12 people found this helpful

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Simply Curious

A Path from True Evil to Lasting Peace

May 19, 2006

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This remarkable book begins to give us a firm basis for hope, because it provides a deep and accurate understanding of evil. This well researched and well written book examines and discredits the "myth of pure evil", and instead rigorously examines the point of view of real perpetrators to understand the true causes of evil.

After adopting the simple definition of "intentional harm to other people", the author identifies the four roots of evil as greed, egotism, idealism, and sadism, and explores each of these in depth. He dispels the popular misunderstanding that low self-esteem is a major contributor to violent behavior. Instead his careful analysis establishes that people who have high self-esteem, but lack a firm basis for that belief, are especially prone to be violent. He describes how an ordinary person crosses the line into evil, how evil spreads, and how perpetrators deal with guilt. After examining the provocative question of "why is there not more evil" he describes the central role of self-control in preventing evil. He also describes how typical bystanders often unwittingly contribute to evil acts.

Central to the analysis is the principle he calls the "magnitude gap." This describes the discrepancy between the importance of an evil act to the perpetrator and the victim. This magnitude gap accounts for the rapid escalation of violence that is so typical in retaliation. The response chosen to avenge each provocation is amplified at each round to account for the victim's point of view.

Because lasting peace will come only from a profound understanding of violence, the analysis and insight this book provides is an important contribution toward a more peaceful world.

14 people found this helpful15 people found this helpful

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billycat

very interesting

October 1, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

interesting material, I would recommend this book to everyone. however It is a little violent and I would keep it out of the hands of sensitive audiences.

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