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Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty |  | Authors: Roy F. Baumeister Ph.D., Aaron Beck
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $19.00
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Seller: joannesbooksgalore
Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 217597
Media: Paperback
Pages: 448
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1.2
ISBN: 0805071652
Dewey Decimal Number: 155.232
EAN: 9780805071658
ASIN: 0805071652
Publication Date: March 19, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Why is there evil, and what can scientific research tell us about the origins and persistence of evil behavior? Considering evil from the unusual perspective of the perpetrator, Baumeister asks, How do ordinary people find themselves beating their wives? Murdering rival gang members? Torturing political prisoners? Betraying their colleagues to the secret police? Why do cycles of revenge so often escalate?
Baumeister casts new light on these issues as he examines the gap between the victim's viewpoint and that of the perpetrator, and also the roots of evil behavior, from egotism and revenge to idealism and sadism. A fascinating study of one of humankind's oldest problems, Evil has profound implications for the way we conduct our lives and govern our society.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 29
 Evil Is as Evil Does: She Just Had Her Own Agenda April 10, 2009
Gary Taylor (Houston, TX USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Was she evil?"
A friend posed that question to me a few years ago in seeking my opinion of an old lover convicted of trying to murder me in 1980 and implicated in at least two other Texas homicides over the years. When I realized I lacked a quick response--and did not even know if I believed in a concept of pure evil--I decided to get educated. So I bought a copy of Roy Baumeister's "Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty" and returned to school.
Despite some of the criticisms included from other reviewers ("shallow" for example), I must report I found Baumeister's pop psychology overview on evil to be an enlightening and readable treatment of both the philosophical and psychological aspects of that subject for my needs. But I must confess, Baumeister's conclusions align with my own, so in some respects he was preaching to the choir when he wrote that "evil exists primarily in the eye of the beholder, especially in the eye of the victim."
Armed with Baumeister's anecdotes and analysis, I returned to my friend with an answer. And I cited conclusions from Baumeister's book when writing my December 2008 true crime memoir of my own experience, "Luggage By Kroger: A True Crime Memoir."
She was not evil. She just had her own agenda.
 Evil, a very Good book May 11, 2008
D. nicholls
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Highly recommended to anyone interested in this topic. Compulsary reading for all idealists, especially those who believe the end justifies the means. Also very interesting and I think accurate is his argument that excessively high self-esteem can be a cause of evil is completely lost on ideology driven Policy Makers in racial and other areas, yet in a way there has always been a folk understanding of this, expressions like "big-head" "conceited" suggest the person may be dangerous or should be avoided.
His definition of evil as violence and cruelty could be questioned, but separating it from evil intentions is an interesting and useful idea.
I thought perhaps it suffered a little from the sheer breadth of the topics covered but still a highly readable and hearting contribution to thinking about good and evil.
Very good information April 5, 2008
Rose M. Lichtenfels (Higley, Az. United States)
I have found this book to be very insightful on the topic it covers. It uses real life examples which can be very sad but it also proves the point it is trying to make.
EVIL is more in the eyes of the beholder: Seldom it is by itself. January 15, 2008
Fran (PR, USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The author, a social psychologist, explore in depth the concept of Evil, finding that is often a perception made than any else. He explain how "evil" perhaps is more a construction and, when analizing the perpetrators, what we see is not necessary evil. A broad analysis of the topic.
A Path from True Evil to Lasting Peace May 19, 2006
Simply Curious (Middletown, NJ USA)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
This remarkable book begins to give us a firm basis for hope, because it provides a deep and accurate understanding of evil. This well researched and well written book examines and discredits the "myth of pure evil", and instead rigorously examines the point of view of real perpetrators to understand the true causes of evil.
After adopting the simple definition of "intentional harm to other people", the author identifies the four roots of evil as greed, egotism, idealism, and sadism, and explores each of these in depth. He dispels the popular misunderstanding that low self-esteem is a major contributor to violent behavior. Instead his careful analysis establishes that people who have high self-esteem, but lack a firm basis for that belief, are especially prone to be violent. He describes how an ordinary person crosses the line into evil, how evil spreads, and how perpetrators deal with guilt. After examining the provocative question of "why is there not more evil" he describes the central role of self-control in preventing evil. He also describes how typical bystanders often unwittingly contribute to evil acts.
Central to the analysis is the principle he calls the "magnitude gap." This describes the discrepancy between the importance of an evil act to the perpetrator and the victim. This magnitude gap accounts for the rapid escalation of violence that is so typical in retaliation. The response chosen to avenge each provocation is amplified at each round to account for the victim's point of view.
Because lasting peace will come only from a profound understanding of violence, the analysis and insight this book provides is an important contribution toward a more peaceful world.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 29
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