Evil: Shortcuts to a Big Idea

By Adam Possamai

What is evil and how can it be understood? What is the real evil, if it exists? This concise book provides a map to understanding the complex phenomenon of evil. It brings together perspectives on evil as a social construction and a reality, and examines popular views of evil emerging from exorcism, occultism, and conspiracy theories.

By expert author Adam Possamai, Evil connects deep philosophical and theological theories with our everyday life experience, both mainstream and at the margins of our society. It outlines evil in philosophy and theology, and explores the idea that there is evil in all of us. Key topics covered include: Biological and psychiatric factors discussed in the literature behind serial killing, serial rape, torture, and mass murders; how labelling people or groups as evil has been used as a tool for social control, from the labelling of women as witches to claims about public figures on social media; popular culture as a way to provide a safe and vicarious experience with evil; and evil as a source of power, aestheticism and playfulness for counter-cultural groups and artists.

Evil is an essential introduction for those studying the problem of evil and suffering on a wide range of courses in sociology, philosophy, theology, anthropology, and psychology. It also provides insight for cultural studies and English literature courses on the gothic and popular culture, as well as all those fascinated by good, evil and morality.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1041049641
• ISBN13: 9781041049647
• Release Date: December 2026
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 184 Pages