Evil

In a world whose most recent century saw pogroms, mass killings in the name of God and/or state, the shoah, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Dresden, and a list of extremist religious zealots killing the dreaded infidel, how does one define (or RE-define) “Evil” vis-à-vis the human condition? Professors Cooper and Epperson have written an eminently approachable introductory text to the issue of evil and how it interfaces with one’s faith, conscience, psychology and zeitgeist. The history of Satan and his fiery abode are explored, as is the psychology that overarches and undergirds evil as a concept—and as action. Here is a highly readable, insightful journey through the maze of issues connected with the term “evil.” †