As long as we are preoccupied with suffering in the world, political philosopher Simona Forti argues, we are compelled to examine the question of evil. The author examines 19th- and 20th-century philosophical debates on the nature of evil and concludes that we must abandon the "Dostoevsky paradigm," in which an omnipotent subject (a demon, a sower of death) is contrasted with helpless victims. She offers a new genealogy of the relationship between evil and power. Forti draws attention to the passive attitude toward rule-following, the need for normalcy, and the desire for submission characteristic of modern democracies, which, in her view, constitute the foundation of modern evil. Evil is also considered in relation to our need for survival at any cost and a deep desire for recognition. The book has sparked widespread discussion, offering new avenues for exploring the relationship between ethics and politics.

This book will be useful for those interested in political philosophy, history, literary analysis, and psychoanalysis (both theory and practice).

Simona Forti (b. 1958) is professor of political philosophy at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa.