This unit investigates the nature of evil, in light of psychological and other factors that enable people to commit acts of great evil. Questions discussed include: If an evildoer suffered serious childhood abuse, should this influence our moral judgements of them? Are we all capable of great evil, if placed in certain circumstances? Could there be 'bad seeds'? Can moral judgements be justifiably made of those with evil thoughts and desires that they never act on? How should we determine the appropriateness of medical treatment of evildoers? How do different accounts of evil bear on contemporary ethical theories? Current empirical research will also be used in addressing these questions. -- Course Website
Instructor: Assoc. Prof. Justin Oakley
Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in Philosophy or Bioethics or Human rights theory
