The moral psychology of evil

This unit investigates the nature of evil, in light of psychological and other factors that enable people to commit acts of great evil. Questions discussed include: If an evildoer suffered serious childhood abuse, should this influence our moral judgements of them? Does the role that situational factors often seem to play in explaining evildoing undermine the plausibility of character-based accounts of evildoing? Are we all capable of evildoing, if placed in certain circumstances? Can moral judgements be justifiably made of those with evil thoughts and desires that they never act on? How should we determine the appropriateness of medical treatment of evildoers? How do different accounts of evil bear on contemporary ethical theories? Current empirical research will also be used in addressing these questions.