Author Description

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT. Politicians and the press exploit the rhetorical strength of the word 'evil' in phrases such as 'evil regimes' or 'Axis of Evil'. Yet, until recently, contemporary political theory has been wary of its religious connotations or the status of the moral judgement it conveys, especially when approaching morality from a relativist perspective. This book explores the actual and possible roles of evil in current-day international politics. Now, many political theorists think that some things may not simply be 'different', but are objectively wrong. Approaching the issue in very different ways, these theorists argue that there are important questions to be asked about the extent of a reasonable pluralism. There is surprising agreement in modern cultures on the substantive evils that confront human communities - genocide, torture, slavery. It is here, where our tolerance is stretched to breaking point, that we can apply the concept of evil.