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UNDERSTANDING AND RESPONDING TO HUMAN EVIL: A MULTICAUSAL APPROACH
Author(s) -
Peters Karl E.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
zygon®
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1467-9744
pISSN - 0591-2385
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9744.2008.00948.x
Subject(s) - sociocultural evolution , rage (emotion) , psychology , epistemology , good and evil , task (project management) , environmental ethics , social psychology , sociology , philosophy , anthropology , management , economics
Abstract. One task of religion is delivering human beings from evil within and between themselves. Defining good as well‐being or functioning well, evil as impaired functioning, and doing evil as impairing the functioning of others, this essay explores how religions in consort with other social institutions might understand and respond to evil in light of contemporary scientific knowledge. To understand evil I use a multicausal approach that includes both biological and sociocultural environmental causes. I illustrate the use of this approach by analyzing how we might understand and respond to human rage and violence.