
Evil
The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side
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Narrated by:
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Julia Shaw
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By:
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Julia Shaw
About this listen
An original and scientifically rigorous exploration of the darkest recesses of the human mind.
What is it about evil that we find so compelling? From our obsession with serial killers to violence in pop culture, we seem inescapably drawn to the stories of monstrous acts and the aberrant people who commit them. But evil, Dr. Julia Shaw argues, is all relative, rooted in our unique cultures. What one may consider normal, like sex before marriage, eating meat, or being a banker, others may find abhorrent. And if evil is only in the eye of the beholder, can it be said to exist at all?
In Evil, Dr. Shaw uses case studies from academia, examples from popular culture, and anecdotes from everyday life to break down complex information and concepts, such as the neuroscience of evil, the psychology of bloodlust, and workplace misbehavior. In grappling with thorny dilemmas - from "Would I kill baby Hitler?" to "Why do I want to murder my spouse?" - Dr. Shaw offers listeners a better understanding of the world, ourselves, and our Google search histories.
©2019 Doubleday Canada (P)2019 Julia ShawListeners also enjoyed...
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-
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Performance
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Getting to know you.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Most people, including many policy makers, activists, scientists, and philosophers, have encouraged us to be more empathetic - to feel the pain and pleasure of others. Yale researcher and author Paul Bloom argues that this is a mistake. Far from leading us to improve the lives of others, empathy is a capricious and irrational emotion that appeals to our narrow prejudices. It muddles our judgment and often leads to cruelty. We are at our best when we are smart enough not to rely on it and draw upon a more distanced compassion.
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Starts strong, fizzles out.
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By: Paul Bloom
Critic reviews
"Curious readers will be riveted by Shaw's deliberate, rational discussions of such taboos as cyberbullying, homicide, pedophilia, and the ways money and power corrupt the souls of formerly good men and women.... A consistently fascinating journey into the darker sides of the human condition that will push on the boundaries of readers' comfort zones." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Julia Shaw has crafted a brilliant panorama that elucidates humanity's dark side in her masterpiece, Evil. This science-based foundation for studying the minds of sadists, mass murderers, freaks and creeps, as well the new role of tech in promoting evil is presented in a totally engaging fashion." (Philip Zimbardo, author of The Lucifer Effect)
"Evil covers a wide range of subjects, from the creepiness of clowns and collectors to sexual deviance to the dark side of tech. Shaw undermines long-held beliefs about the universality of moral judgments for certain acts with more recent research, such as the supposed connection between testosterone and aggression. Her primary theme is that the concepts of violence and evil are much more complex than we realize, and before we judge we must always consider the context..... Provocative." (Psychology Today)