Evil in the Western Philosophical Tradition - Softcover

Rae, Gavin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1474445330 ISBN 13: 9781474445337

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press, 2021

Synopsis

Charting a sweeping history of evil within the Western philosophical tradition, Gavin Rae shows that the problem of evil – as a conceptual problem – came to the fore with the rise of monotheism. Rae traces the problem of evil from early and Medieval Christian philosophy to modern philosophy, German Idealism, post-structuralism and contemporary analytic philosophy and secularisation.

About this title

About the Author

Gavin Rae is Associate Professor (accredited to Professor) in the Department of Logic and Theoretical Philosophy at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. His research interests lie in nineteenth and twentieth century European philosophy, where he works at the intersection of socio-political philosophy, psychoanalytic theory, ontology, and ethics. Besides over sixty published articles and book chapters, he is the author of eight monographs, the most recent of which are The Politics of Reason: A Postfoundational Approach (Edinburgh University Press, 2026), Questioning Sexuality: From Psychoanalysis to Gender Theory and Beyond (Edinburgh University Press, 2024), and Poststructuralist Agency: The Subject in Twentieth Century Theory (Edinburgh University Press, 2020). He has also co-edited six volumes, the most recent of which are Subjective Agency and Poststructuralism (Routledge, 2025―with Cillian Ó Fathaigh), Philosophy across Borders (Routledge, 2025―with Emma Ingala), and Historical Traces and Future Pathways of Poststructuralism: Aesthetics, Ethics, Politics (Routledge, 2021―with Emma Ingala).

From the Back Cover

'The idea of evil is at the centre of a lively philosophical debate, and this book is an important and distinctive contribution, providing a philosophical history of the concept in the western tradition. Ranging from the Christian tradition to the secular, and from philosophical approaches to the psychoanalytical, it provides an in-depth study of the key thinkers who have contributed to the historical roots of this debate.' Phillip Cole, University of the West of England, Bristol Analyses the history of Western conceptions of evil, showing it to be remarkably complex, differentiated and contested Evil has played an important, if subterranean, role in Western philosophical thought. Gavin Rae charts a history of evil revealing the meaning and nature of evil to be remarkably complex, differentiated and contested. Coverage ranges from early and Medieval Christian philosophy to modern philosophy, German Idealism, post-structuralism and contemporary analytic philosophy, before Rae ties the analysis to the question of secularisation. In so doing, he demonstrates the breadth and depth of thinking on evil by looking at thinkers not normally included in this analysis - Jacques Lacan and Cornelius Castoriadis. Evil in the Western Philosophical Tradition will be of interest to anyone working in ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of religion and the history of philosophy. Gavin Rae is Conex Marie Sklodowska-Curie Experienced Research Fellow at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain. Cover image: The triumph of Christ and Satan bound for thousand years. Illumination, Dutch, 1450 (c) akg-images Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-4532-0 Barcode

From the Inside Flap

The idea of evil is at the centre of a lively philosophical debate, and this book is an important and distinctive contribution, providing a philosophical history of the concept in the western tradition. Ranging from the Christian tradition to the secular, and from philosophical approaches to the psychoanalytical, it provides an in-depth study of the key thinkers who have contributed to the historical roots of this debate. Phillip Cole, University of the West of England, BristolAnalyses the history of Western conceptions of evil, showing it to be remarkably complex, differentiated and contestedEvil has played an important, if subterranean, role in Western philosophical thought. Gavin Rae charts a history of evil revealing the meaning and nature of evil to be remarkably complex, differentiated and contested.Coverage ranges from early and Medieval Christian philosophy to modern philosophy, German Idealism, post-structuralism and contemporary analytic philosophy, before Rae ties the analysis to the question of secularisation. In so doing, he demonstrates the breadth and depth of thinking on evil by looking at thinkers not normally included in this analysis Jacques Lacan and Cornelius Castoriadis.Evil in the Western Philosophical Tradition will be of interest to anyone working in ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of religion and the history of philosophy.Gavin Rae is Conex Marie Sklodowska-Curie Experienced Research Fellow at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain.Cover image: The triumph of Christ and Satan bound for thousand years. Illumination, Dutch, 1450 © akg-imagesCover design:[EUP logo]edinburghuniversitypress.comISBN 978-1-4744-4532-0Barcode

Edition details

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1474445330
• ISBN 13: 9781474445337
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 360