The Evil Within: Why We Need Moral Philosophy

ISBN-13: 9780190685379 / Angielski / Twarda / 2018 / 296 str.

Diane Jeske

Opis

Slave-holders, Nazis, and psychopaths are indisputably bad people. But the ways in which they attempt to justify their actions provide uncomfortable parallels with our own moral deliberations. Moral philosophy provides tools for examining and evaluating our moral deliberations, and so serve an important function in moral education.

Recenzje

Diane Jeske's penetrating study of evil is the philosophical equivalent of an action-packed thriller. Few theoretical contributions are so riveting, so engrossing, so seductive that they cannot be put down. Jeske's book is that rare exception. Through vivid case studies that range from Nazis to American presidents, from slave owners to serial killers, Jeske delves into the moral dimensions of evil, the psychological devices that enable it to flourish, the grounds upon which it is legitimately excused, and the conditions under which even the best of us might succumb to its temptations. Her new philosophical moves invigorate old moral debates and her use of the tragic choices and compromised commitments of famous people reveal how frighteningly thin the line can be between good and evil. Jeske's book is a haunting reminder that living on the right side of that line requires not just moral knowledge but vigilant stewardship of one's character.

O autorze

Diane Jeske is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Iowa, where she has taught since 1992. She received her PhD at MIT. Her publications have focused on issues concerning the nature of friendship and our obligations to friends and other intimates. She is the author of Rationality and Moral Theory: How Intimacy Generates Reasons (Routledge, 2008).