Evil : the science behind humanity's dark side Cover Image

Book

Evil : the science behind humanity's dark side / Julia Shaw.

Summary:

Dr. Julia Shaw, a criminal psychologist uses the latest scientific research to offer a more enlightened and nuanced explanation for why people behave so badly and how we can prevent evil acts by understanding more profoundly how such acts come about - and what truly makes us evil.

From our obsession with serial killers to violence in pop culture, we seem drawn to the stories of monstrous acts and the aberrant people who commit them. Shaw argues that evil is relative, rooted in our unique cultures. What one may consider normal, like sex before marriage, eating meat, or being a banker, others find abhorrent. And if evil is only in the eye of the beholder, can it be said to exist at all? Here she breaks down concepts like the neuroscience of evil, the psychology of bloodlust, and workplace misbehavior to explain how we can prevent evil acts by understanding more profoundly how such acts come about. -- adapted from jacket

Record details

ISBN: 9781419729492
ISBN: 1419729497
Physical Description: 304 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Publisher: New York : Abrams Press, 2019.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-296) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Introduction: The hunger -- Your inner sadist: the neuroscience of evil -- Murder by design: the psychology of bloodlust -- The freak show: deconstructing creepiness -- Two-faced tech: how technology changes us -- Kinky as f*ck: the science of sexual deviance -- To catch a predator: understanding paedophiles -- Snakes in suits: the psychology of groupthink -- And I said nothing: the science of compliance -- Conclusion.