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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, th

"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."--Book jacket of the printed edition.

A review essay on books by (1) Richard Bernstein, Radical Evil: A Philosophical Interrogation (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2002); (2) Susan Neiman, Evil in Modern Thought: An Alternative Philosophy of History (Princeton, Princeton U Press, 2002); & (3) Amelie Oksenberg Rorty [Ed], The Many Faces of Evil (New York: Routledge, 2001).

Aristotle's notion of evil is highly elaborate and attractive, yet has been largely overlooked by philosophers. While most recent studies of evil focus on modern understandings of the concept, this volume shows that Aristotle's theory is an invaluable resource for our contemporary understanding of it. Twelve leading scholars reconstruct the account of evil latent in Aristotle's metaphysics, biology, psychology, ethics, and politics, and detect Aristotelian patterns of thought that operate at certain landmark moments in the history of philosophy from ancient thought to modern day debates. The book pays particular attention to Aristotle's understanding of "radical evil", an important and much disputed topic. Original and systematic, this study is the first to provide a full exploration of evil in Aristotle's work, shedding light on its content, potential, and influence. The volume will appeal to scholars of ancient Greek philosophy as well as to moral philosophers and to historians of philosophy

"I am delighted to offer my highest praise to Dean Cocking and Jeroen van den Hoven's brilliant new book, Evil Online. The confrontation between good and evil occupies a central place in the challenges facing our human nature, and this creative investigation into the spread of evil by means of all-powerful new technologies raises fundamental questions about our morality and values. Cocking and Van den Hoven's account of the moral fog of evil forces us to face both the demons within each of us as well as the demons all around us. In the end, we are all enriched by their perceptive analyses."Phil Zimbardo, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Stanford University Principal Investigator, Stanford Prison Experiment "The internet offers new and deeply concerning opportunities for immorality, much of it shocking and extreme. This volume explains with great insight and clarity the corrupting nature of the internet and the moral confusion it has produced. It will play a vital role in the growing debate about how to balance the benefits of the internet against the risks it poses to all of us. Evil Online is an excellent book."Roger Crisp, Professor of Moral Philosophy, University of Oxford We now live in an era defined by the ubiquity of the internet. From our everyday engagement with social media to trolls on forums and the emergence of the dark web, the internet is a space characterized by unreality, isolation, anonymity, objectification, and rampant self-obsession-the perfect breeding ground for new, unprecedented manifestations of evil. Evil Online is the first comprehensive analysis of evil and moral character in relation to our increasingly online lives. Chapters consider traditional ideas around the phenomenon of evil in moral philosophy and explore how the dawn of the internet has presented unprecedented challenges to older theoretical approaches. Cocking and Van den Hoven propose that a growing sense of moral confusion-moral fog-pushes otherwise ordinary, normal people toward evildoing, and that values basic to moral life such as autonomy, intimacy, trust, and privacy are put at risk by online platforms and new technologies. This new theory of evildoing offers fresh insight into the moral character of the individual, and opens the way for a burgeoning new area of social thought. A comprehensive analysis of an emerging and disturbing social phenomenon, Evil Online examines the morally troubling aspects of the internet in our society. Written not only for academics in the fields of philosophy, psychology, information science, and social science, Evil Online is accessible and compelling reading for anyone interested in understanding the emergence of evil in our digitally-dominated world.

Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Preface -- Chapter 1 The Many Faces of Evil Online -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Some Trends and Cases -- Chapter 2 Our Online Environment -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Epistemic Success, Connectivity, and Coordination -- 2.2.1 Epistemic Success -- 2.2.2 Connectivity -- 2.2.3 Coordination -- 2.3 Other Features of Online Worlds that Shape Our Lives -- 2.3.1 Selectivity -- 2.3.2 Homophily and Stigmergy -- 2.3.3 Jurisdiction -- 2.3.4 Anonymity -- 2.3.5 Virtuality -- 2.3.6 Voluntariness -- 2.3.7 Positionality -- 2.3.8 Interpretive Flexibility -- 2.3.9 Interactivity -- 2.3.10 Publicity -- 2.3.11 Domesticity -- 2.3.12 Isolation -- 2.3.13 Addictiveness -- Chapter 3 The Transformation of Social Life -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Our Public and Private Lives: Plural Worlds and Values -- 3.3 Public/Private Lives Online -- 3.4 Life on Your Own Terms -- 3.5 Online/Offline World Contrasts: Overstated and Alarmist -- 3.6 Alarmism about Sexual Predators and Children -- Chapter 4 The Moral Fog of Our Worlds -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 The Moral Fog of Evil -- 4.3 The Shared Life and Our Vulnerability to Evil -- 4.3.1 Learning and Development Vulnerabilities -- 4.3.2 The Need for Intimacy -- 4.3.3 Keeping Up with Others -- 4.3.4 Working and Professional Life -- 4.3.5 Plural Identities -- 4.3.6 Incremental and Collective Evils -- 4.3.7 Widely Shared Vice and Weakness -- Chapter 5 The Fate of the Moral Life -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Moral Character: A Case of Mistaken Identity? -- 5.3 Good Character, Self-interest, Others and Surrounds -- 5.4 Evil and Responsibility -- 5.5 Nothing New Under the Sun -- 5.6 The Liberal -- 5.7 Conclusion: Just Me and the Internet -- Bibliography -- Index -- EULA