Ruth W. Grant - Naming Evil, Judging Evil [2006][A]

Book Description
Publication Date: October 1, 2006
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 able—and in fact are obligated—to 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.

Review
"Five years after the September 11 attacks resurrected the rhetoric of evil, the use of the term has become as banal as Hannah Arendt once argued evil itself is. Despite this ubiquity -- or perhaps because of it -- we seem increasingly incapable of actually recognizing and confronting evil. This quandary motivates much of Ruth W. Grant's engaging anthology Naming Evil, Judging Evil, an effort born of two years of discussions among her Duke University colleagues. The resulting essays equip readers with the intellectual tools to understand evil's manifestations, past and present, and to navigate the tricky terrain of judging those evils -- a prerequisite to acting against them. While some of the pieces bog down in academic wrangling, others are excellent and accessible, provoking the kind of deep and complex thought that is missing from today's public discourse. --Hannah Lobel, Utne Reader

About the Author/Editor
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.