Naming Evil, Judging Evil

by Grant, Ruth Weissbourd; MacIntyre, Alasdair C.

• ISBN13: 9780226306735
• ISBN10: 0226306739
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-10-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Is it more dangerous to call something evil or not to? This fundamental question deeply divides those who fear that the term oversimplifies grave problems and those who worry that, to effectively address such issues as terrorism and genocide, we must first acknowledge them as evil. Recognizing that the way we approach this dilemma can significantly affect both the harm we suffer and the suffering we inflict, a distinguished group of contributors engages in the debate with this series of timely and original essays. Drawing on Western conceptions of evil from the Middle Ages to the present, these pieces demonstrate that, while it may not be possible to definitively settle moral questions, we are still ableand in fact are obligatedto make moral arguments and judgments. Using a wide variety of approaches, the authors raise tough questions: Why is so much evil perpetrated in the name of good? Could evil ever be eradicated? How can liberal democratic politics help us strike a balance between the need to pass judgment and the need to remain tolerant? Their insightful answers exemplify how the sometimes rarefied worlds of political theory, philosophy, theology, and history can illuminate pressing contemporary concerns.

Author Biography

Ruth W. Grant is professor of political science and philosophy at Duke University and a senior fellow at the Kenan Institute for Ethics. She is the author of John Locke’s Liberalism and Hypocrisy and Integrity, both published by the University of Chicago Press.

Table of Contents

Foreword Alasdair MacIntyre
Preface
Introduction	p. 1
Speaking About Evil
Where Did All the Evils Go?
Seeing Darkness, Hearing Silence: Augustine's Account of Evil StanleyHauerwas
The Rousseauan Revolution and the Problem of
Inequality and the Problem of
Making Judgments, Passing Judgment, Taking a Stand, Biting Your Tongue
The Butler Did It
Evil and the Morality of Conviction
Combining Clarity and Complexity
A Layered Approach to Cross-Cultural Ethics Elizabeth Kiss
Liberal Dilemmas and Moral Judgment Malachi Hacohen
Between Bigotry and Nihilism
Moral Judgment in Pluralist Democracies
Bibliography
Index
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