Myth Of Evil

Author : Phillip Cole
Publisher : Edinburgh University Press
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2006-06-12
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780748626854

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Myth of Evil by Phillip Cole Pdf

A philosophical history of the concept of evil in western culture. 'Evil is something to be feared, and historically, we shall see, it is the enemy within who has been seen as representing the most intense evil of all - the enemy who looks just like us, talks like us, and is just like us.' The Myth of Evil explores a contradiction: the belief that human beings cannot commit acts of pure evil, that they cannot inflict harm for its own sake, and the evidence that pure 'evil' truly is a human capacity. Acts of horror are committed not by inhuman 'monsters', but by ordinary human beings. This contradiction is clearest in the apparently 'extreme' acts of war criminals, terrorists, serial murderers, sex offenders and children who kill. Phillip Cole delves deep into our two, cosily established approaches to evil. There is the traditional approach where evil is a force which creates monsters in human shape. And there is the 'enlightened' perspective where evil is the consequence of the actions of misguided or mentally deranged agents. Cole rejects both approaches. Satan may have played a role in its evolution, but evil is really a myth we have created about ourselves. And to understand it fully, we must acknowledge this. Drawing on the philosophical ideas of Nietzsche, Arendt, Kant, Mary Midgley and others, as well as theology, psychoanalysis, fictional representations and contemporary political events such as the global 'war on terror', Cole presents an account of evil that is thorough and thought-provoking, and which, more fundamentally, compels us to reassess our understanding of human nature.

Author : Anthony S. Mercatante
Publisher : HarperCollins Publishers
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 1978
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : UVA:X000050849

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Good and Evil by Anthony S. Mercatante Pdf

Author : Robert Ellwood
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2009-12-10
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781441182975

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Tales of Darkness by Robert Ellwood Pdf

Evil, an undeniable yet inexplicable force in human existence, is often defined as that which ought not to be, yet is - so it must be destroyed, or contained, or lived with. Myths of evil function to universalize the human condition, to show the tension between the ideal and the real, to reveal but not allegorize that condition, and to go some way to assist humanity in understanding, combating, and coping with evil within its societies. Tales of Darkness explores the causes of evil in myth, encompassing themes such as defilement, the figure of the trickster, evil people both within and outside the society, and traumatic initiations. Robert Ellwood then looks at "cures" for evil: laughter, sacrifice, the flood, the hero's quest, initiation, the savior, divine wisdom and the end of days. This is a fascinating examination of how people have dealt with evil, not philosophically but in terms of the myths, ancient and modern, which present stories convergent with our own, from creation myths to Star Wars.

Author : Wendy Doniger,Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty
Publisher : Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
Page : 438 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 1988
Category : Religion
ISBN : 8120803868

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The Origins of Evil in Hindu Mythology by Wendy Doniger,Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty Pdf

This work deals at length with various theories about relgion prevalent at the time when Megasthenes visited India very interesting and scholarly views have been put forth regarding investigations of Megasthenes their reliability and the reliability of his reporters.

Author : Lawrence Leshan
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
Page : 166 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781599268859

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The Pattern of Evil by Lawrence Leshan Pdf

If we wish to learn from the Holocaust how to act against a recurrence, we must ask what the SS thought they were doing as they organized and ran the horrific camps. Then we can know how to watch for early signs of the emergence of this type of thinking and move against it. This book addresses itself to this problem and arrives at new answers. Modern science and philosophy have gradually become aware of the degree to which human beings use different sets of assumptions about the nature of reality (how things are and work) in different situations. As this book demonstrates, when the "Mythic" world picture is used to solve political problems (instead of the appropriate "Sensory" world view) the concentration camp becomes a possibility. The process, however, is not inexorable, but can be aborted if understood.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2006-01-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9789401201469

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Vampires by Anonim Pdf

In the modern world vampires come in all forms: they can be perpetrators or victims, metaphors or monsters, scapegoats for sinfulness or mirrors of our own evil. What becomes obvious from the scope of the fifteen essays in this collection is that vampires have infiltrated just about every area of popular culture and consciousness. In fact, the way that vampires are depicted in all types of media is often a telling signifier of the fears and expectations of a culture or community and the way that it perceives itself; and others. The volume’s essays offer a fascinating insight into both vampires themselves and the cultures that envisage them.

Author : Hyam Maccoby
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 1992
Category : Religion
ISBN : UOM:39015029991851

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Judas Iscariot and the Myth of Jewish Evil by Hyam Maccoby Pdf

Maccoby returns to the sources of Christianity to show how Judas was invented by successive gospel writers, thereby ingraining in the minds of Christian Europeans a perverted image of the Jew as a malevolent betrayer. He goes on to show how this idea helped to justify 2,000 years of genocidal persecution.

Author : Richard Stivers
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 204 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2020-04-28
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781532686252

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Evil in Modern Myth and Ritual by Richard Stivers Pdf

Richard Stivers’ concern is with the social construction of evil, that is, with how modern societies, in a partly unconscious way, create evil as a category of the sacred and how symbols, myths, and rituals of evil are related to this. He is interested, moreover, in how modern societies provoke individuals to commit evil actions. This fascinating and stimulating book is the first attempt to work out in detail how the concepts of the sacred, symbol, myth, and ritual form a cultural configuration in modern technological societies, and not just in traditional societies.

Author : Paul Ricœur
Publisher : Beacon Press
Page : 372 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 1967
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0807015679

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The Symbolism of Evil by Paul Ricœur Pdf

"According to Ricoeur, the most primal and spontaneous symbols of evil are defilement, sin and guilt ... Ricoeur moves from the elementary symbols of evil into the rich world of myths ... and he ends by suggesting that the clue to the relation between philosophy to mythology is to be found in the aphorism 'The symbol gives rise to the thought' ... Ricoeur's method and argument are too intricate and rich to assess in so short a review. Suffice it to say that this is the most massive accomplisment of any philosopher within the ambience of Christian faith since the appearance of Gabriel Marcel" - Sam Keen, The Christian Century

Author : Niall Scott
Publisher : Rodopi
Page : 238 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Art
ISBN : 9789042022539

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Monsters and the Monstrous by Niall Scott Pdf

Emerging from depths comes a series of papers dealing with one of the most significant creations that reflects on and critiques human existence. Both a warning and a demonstration, the monster as myth and metaphor provides an articulation of human imagination that toys with the permissible and impermissible. Monsters from zombies to cuddly cartoon characters, emerging from sewers, from pages of literature, propaganda posters, movies and heavy metal, all are covered in this challenging, scholarly collection. This volume the third in the series presents a marvellous collection of studies on the metaphor of the monster in literature, cinema, music, culture, philosophy, history and politics. Both historical reflection and concerns of our time are addressed with clarity and written in an accessible manner providing appeal for the scholar and lay reader alike. This eclectic collection will be of interest to academics and students working in a range of disciplines, such as cultural studies, film studies, political theory, philosophy and literature studies.

Author : Michael Fishbane
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2003-06-06
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780191520471

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Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking by Michael Fishbane Pdf

This is a comprehensive and systematic exploration of myth in the Hebrew Bible. In addition, Michael Fishbane examines the ongoing role of Scripture in the expansion and transformation of myth in ancient Jewish sources (Midrash and Talmud) and in the classical work of medieval Jewish mysticism (the book of Zohar). The role of myth and monotheism is taken up, and the texts of myth are subjected to close analytical treatment, dealing with matters of form, theme, and theology. In particular, the creative role of exegesis, and its capacity to generate new myths and to justify older or pre-existent ones, is explored. Aspects of continuity and discontinuity with biblical and ancient Near Eastern sources are examined, and the explosive innovations of myth in the various literary phases are considered. In exploring three major phases of Jewish culture, Michael Fishbane offers a new appreciation for the reality of myth and its varieties. Many new conceptual and analytical categories are presented, as well as numerous close readings of the texts at hand.

Author : Robert Ellwood
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 183 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2008-01-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781847062345

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Myth by Robert Ellwood Pdf

An accessible introduction to the complex topic of Myth. Ellwood examines theories, meanings and interpretations, all of which are structured around a typical programme of study.

Author : Trevor Ling
Publisher : One World (UK)
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 1997
Category : Religion
ISBN : STANFORD:36105020434630

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Buddhism & the Mythology of Evil by Trevor Ling Pdf

Combining myth and legend, demonology and scripture, this is a scholarly exploration of the special insights of religion into evil, particularly in Buddhism and Christianity.

Author : William Schultz
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 379 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2013-09-13
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781135628741

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Cassirer and Langer on Myth by William Schultz Pdf

First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Author : Geoffrey W. Dennis
Publisher : Llewellyn Worldwide
Page : 337 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9780738709055

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The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism by Geoffrey W. Dennis Pdf

How are alchemy, astrology, magic, and numerology related to Jewish mysticism? The fabulous, miraculous, and mysterious are all explored in this comprehensive reference to Jewish esotericism-the first of its kind! From amulets and angels to the zodiac and zombies, the "Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism" features over one thousand alphabetical entries. Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis offers a much-needed culmination of Jewish occult teachings that includes significant stories, mythical figures, practices, and ritual objects. Spanning the Bible, the Midrash, Kabbalah, and other mystical branches of Judaism, this well-researched text is meant to trigger insight, spark inspiration, and illuminate one of the oldest esoteric traditions still alive today.