Understanding Human Evil. Volume 1. Evil is Real

We like to believe that evil is rare, incomprehensible, or confined to history. But what if it is a recurring reality of human life?In Evil Is Real, psychologist and philosopher Michael Hardiman examines the nature of evil through the lenses of philosophy, psychology, and history. Challenging the comforting assumption that all wrongdoing can be explained away as ignorance, trauma, or social conditioning, he argues that human beings possess a genuine capacity for destructive action.From ancient debates to the horrors of the twentieth century, this concise and accessible volume explores why the reality of evil matters—and why understanding it is essential if we hope to resist it.Part of the Understanding Human Evil series:Volume I: Evil Is Real explores the reality and nature of human evil.Volume II: The Five Faces of Human Evil examines the recurring forms that evil takes in human affairs: predatory, vengeful, deranged, ideological, and bureaucratic.Volume III: The Moral Life: An Antidote to Evil explores the moral capacities and virtues that enable individuals to recognise, resist, and overcome destructive tendencies.