Evil in the Western Philosophical Tradition

Analyses the history of Western conceptions of evil, showing it to be remarkably complex, differentiated and contested

• Questions any straightforward secular–theology dichotomy by showing that theological motifs, idea, and figures continue to implicitly influence so-called ‘secular’ thinking on evil
• Demonstrates the breadth and depth of thinking on evil by looking at thinkers not normally included in this analysis, such as Jacques Lacan and Cornelius Castoriadis
• Relevant to those working in political philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of religion and the history of philosophy

Charting a sweeping history of evil within the Western philosophical tradition, Gavin Rae shows that the problem of evil – as a conceptual problem – came to the fore with the rise of monotheism. Rae traces the problem of evil from early and Medieval Christian philosophy to modern philosophy, German Idealism, post-structuralism and contemporary analytic philosophy and secularisation.