East of Eden

Towards a Sociology of Evil

The paper unfolds its arguments based on the growing literature of evil. On the basis of these, it becomes clear that a social science approach to the phenomenon of evil essential. The first necessary step towards the sociology of evil is to recap all the dilemmas and contradictions related to the notion of evil. Second step is a review of explanational theories of evil in the fields of religion, psychology and social psychology. After these, the sociological view on evil is outlined. This sociological approach should be complex and multidimensional. Finally, the paper considers the means of preventing and confining evil in human societies.

Released: Replika 79, 129–157.