AIP 310 The Nature of Evil (EP)
This course focuses on an issue that has vexed thinkers in the Western tradition: How do we account for seemingly unwarranted instances of human suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people and vice versa? First, we will investigate the traditional “problem of evil” in Western philosophy, drawing upon readings from the Bible, Sextus Empiricus, Augustine, Leibniz, Rousseau, and Dostoevsky. Building on this historical survey, the course turns to contemporary society and analyses the role that the “evil” concept plays in defining our understanding of war, genocide, terrorism, and serial killers.