Evil

The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side

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Evil

Written by: Julia Shaw

Narrated by: Julia Shaw

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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 misbehaviour. In grappling with thorny dilemmas--from "Would I kill baby Hitler?" to "Why do I want to murder my spouse?"--Dr. Shaw offers readers a better understanding of the world, ourselves and our Google search histories.

Julia ShawJulia ShawDoubleday Canada

Mental Health

Murder

Psychology

Psychology & Mental Health

True Crime

Crime

Health

Mental Health Murder Psychology Psychology & Mental Health True Crime Crime Health

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What the critics say

National Bestseller

“[Dr. Julia Shaw] explores motives behind humanity’s most despicable deeds. . . . Chapters on sadism, murder, creepiness, sexual deviance, pedophilia and business and cultural dilemmas range widely through scientific literature to deconstruct the all-too-human ways to depersonalize, degrade and injure others. . . . Evil is an interesting and important call for people of all parties and persuasions to ‘never dehumanize each other,’ even while acknowledging ‘that intentionally causing pain and suffering is inexcusable.’” —Winnipeg Free Press

"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

"Shaw presents a stimulating and provocative challenge to the traditional meaning of evil." —Library Journal

"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

“The book is warmly [and] chattily written. . . Shaw draws knowledgeably on psychological and neuroscientific research.” —The Guardian

“Most of it is unsettling, shocking or disturbing. It’s also rational, intelligent and necessary.” —The National (UK)

"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

Most Relevant

Not an in-depth look at evil and she states as much in the beginning but it definitely gives you a different perspective on what is deemed "evil" and presents reasoning as perhaps why we should rethink our perspective. I found the chapters on murder (Chapter 2 Murder by Design), businesses (Chapter 7 Snakes in Suits), and compliance (Chapter 8 And I said Nothing) to be the most interesting whereas my husband thought the chapter on technology (Chapter 4 Two-faced Tech) to be the best. So needless to say there is a little something for everyone here. Some of the science and experiments were familiar others were new to me so that helped my understanding and to keep my interest. I really liked this and had me talking about it long after I was done reading.