Abstract
Cultures approach evil in two ways: the moralistic way and the way of wisdom. Although the moralistic approach is more common, it does not enable us to understand evil. If we do not grasp evil, we cannot be free of it. Enslaved by our ignorance, we behave in ways that increase our individual and collective suffering. The way of wisdom, by contrast, offers insight into evil and relief from suffering for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see. This book attempts to understand the nature of evil from the perspective of the wisdom tradition.
Nobody knowingly does evil.
—Plato
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Notes
Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, trans. H.J. Paton ( New York: Harper & Row, 1956 ), pp. 69–83
Onora O’Neill, Towards Justice and Virtue ( Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996 ), pp. 60–65.
Anthony de Mello, One Minute Wisdom ( New York: Doubleday, 1985 ), p. 1.
Mary Midgley, Wickedness ( London: Ark Paperbacks, 1984 ), p. 1.
Kenneth Cauthen, The Many Faces of Evil ( Lima, OH: CSS Publishing Company, 1997 ), p. 46.
John Knowles, A Separate Peace ( New York: Macmillan, 1959 ), p. 186.
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© 2005 Daryl Koehn
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Koehn, D. (2005). Introduction. In: The Nature of Evil. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403979377_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403979377_1
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-53097-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4039-7937-7
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