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On Evil

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 173 ratings · 25 reviews

In this witty, accessible study, the prominent Marxist thinker Terry Eagleton launches a surprising defense of the reality of evil, drawing on literary, theological, and psychoanalytic sources to suggest that evil, no mere medieval artifact, is a real phenomenon with palpable force in our contemporary world.

In a book that ranges from St. Augustine to alcoholism, Thomas Aqu...more

Hardcover, 192 pages

Published April 6th 2010 by Yale University Press (first published 2010)

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Nov 21, 2010 SevenSorrows rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: stopped-reading

Stopped reading after he calls the Catholic Church's doctrine of the Immaculate Conception absurd. He does this so he can make his own non-Christian theory of Original Sin.

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Jan 05, 2013 Elliot Ratzman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lit critic Terry Eagleton’s book on evil is surprisingly good; surprising because I’ve read so much on the topic that little strikes me as new. Eagleton, however, has renewed my interest with a robust defense of metaphysical (“taking up an attitude towards being as such”) evil through philosophy, literature and psychoanalysis. Eagleton is a Marxist Catholic, not as paradoxical as it sounds, who describes theological terms in materialist spins that makes you want to commit them to memory. This sh...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, philosophy, summer-12

It's hard to dispute anything Eagleton says, which is either the mark of a reasonable man or a lack of difficult statements.

Most importantly this is a book written to suggest "Evil" to an age that tends to disregard the category, and to talk more generally around the subject as a means of suggestion.

He starts by doing a literary survey of evil, reviewing Pincher Martin, The Three Policemen, Lord of the Flies, and a few other works less majorly. The interest paid to William Golding is interesting...more It's hard to dispute anything Eagleton says, which is either the mark of a reasonable man or a lack of difficult statements.

Most importantly this is a book written to suggest "Evil" to an age that tends to disregard the category, and to talk more generally around the subject as a means of suggestion.

He starts by doing a literary survey of evil, reviewing Pincher Martin, The Three Policemen, Lord of the Flies, and a few other works less majorly. The interest paid to William Golding is interesting, and it shows Eagleton's comfort engaging with people on the other end of the belief spectrum, even on their terms. He did this well in the published version of his Terry Lectures, "Reason, Faith, and Revolution," and uses Augustine and Aquinas profitably here.

He also talks about modern uses of the term, quick to point out that the most prominent (Bush after the 9/11 attacks) preceded Afgan and Iraqi civilian deaths ten times that of the WTC attacks. This example serves to show how the term can be used rhetorically to suggest someone is beyond the moral pale, as a nihilist in terms of value, and can serve to justify greater evil. On points like this one Eagleton is both difficult and reasonable, but many of his points do not share this same quality. For example, when he is talking about Augustine's privation view of evil the difference he describes between non-being and evil-being-derivative-yet-active-force seemed a bit thin.

I hate to take reviews back to the person who wrote the book rather than what they simply said, but it is helpful to note that Eagleton is an English professor excelling in explication, while being an intelligent non-professional in both Philosophy and Apologetics, particularly when he dismisses all efforts at theodicy in his interpretation of Job 38-40 (an otherwise excellent section) as God saying, "Job, go to Hell," which in the vernacular is not far off. Though, to use this section to dismiss 2000 years of Christian thought on the matter is another thing entirely. At any rate, he makes his position clear, albeit with less force than I would have liked.

3/5, points off for his somewhat scattered organization and broad, topical coverage.(less)

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Oct 31, 2011 Jon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I recently went to hear a lecture by the author--sometimes described as one of the pre-eminent literary theorists of recent years--and bought a copy of this book so he could sign it. We joked briefly about the fact that he had dedicated it to Henry Kissinger. Given how much Eagleton has read, how much he knows, and how witty he is, I was a little disappointed in the book. He distinguishes between evil (what many might call radical evil) and mere wickedness, which is the kind of behavior that res...more I recently went to hear a lecture by the author--sometimes described as one of the pre-eminent literary theorists of recent years--and bought a copy of this book so he could sign it. We joked briefly about the fact that he had dedicated it to Henry Kissinger. Given how much Eagleton has read, how much he knows, and how witty he is, I was a little disappointed in the book. He distinguishes between evil (what many might call radical evil) and mere wickedness, which is the kind of behavior that results from things like pride, envy, anger, lust, etc. True evil, he says, is the result of an insatiable emptiness--a desire to destroy simply because creation is offensive--a desire closely related to Freud's death drive. He is hard put to find it in the real world, however. Even Nazis, he suggests, had mixed motives, with the possible exception of Hitler himself. His best examples all come from literature--Iago, the witches in Macbeth, and Pincher Martin from William Golding's novel. He becomes very strident about political wickedness, which he blames on every political philosophy except Marxism, which he endorses. His political ideas seem naive and off-the-cuff compared to those of, say, Reinhold Niebuhr. In fact large portions of the book seem to be off-the-cuff. An example of the way he writes: "If evil is nothing in itself, then not even an all-powerful God could have created it. Contrary to the popular prejudice that the Almighty can do whatever takes his fancy, there are actually all sorts of activities that are beyond his reach. He cannot join the Girl Guides, comb his hair, tie his shoelaces, or pare his fingernails. He cannot square a triangle. He cannot literally be the father of Jesus Christ, since he does not have testicles. And he cannot create nothingness, since nothingness is not something you can either create or destroy. Only a trick of grammar makes us think otherwise. The fact that evil is nothing positive does not of course mean that it has no positive effects...Darkness and hunger are nothing positive either, but nobody would deny that they have real effects....A hole is not something you can put in your pocket, but a hole in the head is real enough."(less)

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Dec 17, 2012 Nick Jones rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this by accident. I was filling in time, mooching around a bookshop waiting for my partner to turn up when I saw this on a shelf. I read a bit and thought it was amusing...and I don’t expect Terry Eagleton to be amusing. I’ve read some of his earlier work, introductions to the outrageous French literary theory that was so fashionable back in the 1970s: Eagleton was respectful but not entranced...saved by his austere Marxist. Since then he seems to have returned to his Catholic roots: he i...more I read this by accident. I was filling in time, mooching around a bookshop waiting for my partner to turn up when I saw this on a shelf. I read a bit and thought it was amusing...and I don’t expect Terry Eagleton to be amusing. I’ve read some of his earlier work, introductions to the outrageous French literary theory that was so fashionable back in the 1970s: Eagleton was respectful but not entranced...saved by his austere Marxist. Since then he seems to have returned to his Catholic roots: he is now a Marxist-Catholic...always an interesting mixture (Liberation Theology, Pier Paola Pasolini). The introduction to On Evil pokes fun at those moralistic conservatives who want to use the term evil to describe child murderers and the like: to label them evil is to put them beyond understanding and therefore stop those wishy-washy liberals finding reasons or excuses for their actions – but it also places the evil ones beyond moral consideration: evil people do evil in the same way that sharks might eat people: it’s in their nature...so the moralists undermine their own moralizing. But Eagleton also doesn’t want to have anything to do with those on the Left who are uncomfortable with the term ‘evil’ or want to dismiss all moral terminology. In one sense ‘evil’ is a straightforward enough concept: on a sliding scale of bad actions, beginning with the rather naughty, ‘evil’ is at the far end. But Eagleton searches for something more precise, a definition that will, for example, differentiate evil from the merely wicked. I find his methods very strange. As a literary critic he begins by considering depictions of evil in literature (the works of William Golding, Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock, Thomas Mann’s Dr Faustus, etc) and then he generalizes from these considerations, but somehow he jumps from depictions of evil in literature to evil in the world and I don’t understand the necessary link. He throws in lots of ideas, but he doesn’t really build an argument. In the end he defines evil as a sort of fundamental nullity, a lack, and one that wants to destroy what is...but you will have to read the essay to find out the details. It does, however, mean that people are evil, not their actions as such. The same action could be carried out by two people, but it would depend on the person whether the action was an expression of evil or merely wicked. And, I presume, it would be possible that an evil person, through the restraints of circumstances, might not actually do anything particularly bad, but is evil because of the lack within him or her. I find this strange and unconvincing. But, in a book where so many things are thrown in with such enthusiasm, there are interesting passages. I liked Eagleton’s discussion of the witches in Macbeth and there is an interesting consideration of the way we are all caught, without wilfully doing wrong, within networks of guilt and injury: he equates this with original sin: we don’t have to accept this identification to find the ideas interesting. (I have previously come across the same concept of original sin in a reference to a 1950s American Catholic philosopher, but I can neither remember the name of the philosopher or where I read the reference to him: such are the weaknesses of memory.)(less)

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May 12, 2013 Wishkid rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading the first page of this book, the first paragraph at that - I almost threw it out the window. Eagleton states that "Children, after all, are only semi-socialized creatures who can be expected to act pretty savagely from time to time." Also, on the first paragraph, "Perhaps children murder each other all the time and simply keep quiet about it."

I though that to be pretty ridiculous, I live near a playground and while children screaming drives me nuts, they seem perfectly socialized...more After reading the first page of this book, the first paragraph at that - I almost threw it out the window. Eagleton states that "Children, after all, are only semi-socialized creatures who can be expected to act pretty savagely from time to time." Also, on the first paragraph, "Perhaps children murder each other all the time and simply keep quiet about it."

I though that to be pretty ridiculous, I live near a playground and while children screaming drives me nuts, they seem perfectly socialized (In/on their level) and certainly aren't expected to act savagely from time to time. I see them as, well, pretty darn perfect. My position on the topic regarding children might be the reason why this repulsed me so, but I gave the book a shot and found that it actually delves pretty deeply into the nature of evil, very intellectually but at the same time easy to follow.

What I didn't like about the book, and this is why I gave it two stars, was that the author constantly used examples out of works of fiction throughout the whole book to explain certain elements and ideas about evil, what it is, what it is not, WHY it is, etc. and in doing so literally spoiled several books that seemed to be pretty good books in their own right, but they are spoiled to me now. I found that method of constant reference to fictitious material in order to discuss evil to be almost off topic. Had I a say in how this book was written, reference to fiction at all would have been left out. That said, I was curious the moment I saw this book (fan of the darkness perhaps) and it actually is a good read. The mere idea of evil, well let me say just that I am glad Eagleton wrote this book, because it seems to be a difficult topic to breach, and not only does he breach it but he delves pretty deeply into it. Kind of a conundrum, a self-destructive force perhaps. I thought it was written well, and will read it again as the book does get complicated from time to time. It is definitely entertaining all on its' own.(less)

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Feb 12, 2013 AyaSuu rated it 2 of 5 stars

Evil is a topic I've been examining for quite some time and because I liked Eagleton's "Literary Theory: An Introduction" I've expected a lot from "On Evil" and am very disappointed.
Eagleton claims that being evil means doing evil without reason or motive. It means destroying things just because. With this definition, he fails to find examples of true evil in history or politics, so he examines examples from literature. These were the passages I enjoyed the most. However, in all his examples he...more

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May 18, 2012 Elizabeth Holter rated it 2 of 5 stars

I thought I'd read a literary analysis of evil to better understand the other book I was reading - Escape From Camp 14, the memoir by the only person known to have been born in and escaped from one of North Korea's prison camps. Eagleton's take on evil in literature is interesting enough, but the unadorned description of the banality of human depravity in Escape From Camp 14 is more effective at reaching the part of the mind that instinctively recognizes truth. The essential qualities of evil th...more

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May 06, 2013 Burkay Yalnız rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Özgürlük ve devrim insanlık tarihinde sık görülmemektedir çünkü bizim kesinlikle kendimizden kurtarılmamız gereklidir."

Şüko'nun dediği gibi iki buçuk saatte altını üstüne rahatlıkla getirebileceğiniz bir kitap. Fakat ben beklemiyordum, 140 sayfada "Kötü"ye olan bakışımı bu denli besleyeceğini, kısmen değiştirebileceğini, onlarca farklı bakış açısı kazandırabileceğini, beklemiyordum.

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Feb 11, 2012 Molly Brodak rated it 2 of 5 stars

Realized most of what I liked from this book were quotes from other books, and I didn't necessarily admire the way he skates around the definition of evil throughout when that seemed to be pretty central to understanding his claims, which by the way become increasingly transparent in their reliance on traditional Christian thought as the book peters out.

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Jan 06, 2013 Allie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: critical-theory

A nice long book that draws from literature and philosophy (maybe a bit too much) to say one basic thing: evil is evil for no real reason other than it is the opposition of good.
I'll use this book again for academic papers and what not, but it was a bit dry for just pleasurable reading.

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Mar 27, 2012 Joshua rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very thought-provoking and powerful text. Eagleton relies heavily on literary examples and philosophical texts, all of which are extremely well-explained. Even so, a basic understanding of moral philosophy and ethics is probably useful before reading this book. My only real complaint, other than his sometimes over-explanation of literary examples (often to the point where the book that he draws the example from is spoiled), is the ending to the book. It feels unfinished and ends so relatively...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Warren Moore is currently reading it · review of another edition

He summarizes evil as a desire to annihilate everything.

Page 17 - Psychoanalysis has become a stand-in for theology. They both are narratives of human desire but whereas theology ends in the kingdom of God, psychoanalysis is left unfulfilled. It is therefore the science of discontent.

He respects theological ideas of evil, but focuses on a more Freudian concept. He is also draws from Kant.

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Mar 31, 2013 Koz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Surprisingly entertaining for a book about evil, but Eagleton has an easy-to-read and personable style. It takes a rather narrow view on the definition of evil, and in many ways I think that's a good thing, but it also leaves a lot of ground uncovered. Because of that, I think the book felt a little unfulfilled in the end.

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Jul 04, 2010 Deborah Murk added it

The author says the same thing over and over, and then at the very end writes that America deserved 9/11 because we have done so many bad things. What a waste of time. Total crap. I give in zero stars.

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Jun 28, 2011 Miranda rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the beginning and ends of this book, which were the more general philosophical sectionds, but found the main section where the focus was on literary characters a bit slow, probably because I hadn't read any of the books Eagleton was referring to. As a whole though, On Evil is very interesting and obviously it is to be expected that as predominantly a literary critic, those literary references will be in his work. An additional pleasure in a book on a serious and potentially dark...more

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Aug 23, 2012 'Jj rated it 3 of 5 stars

certainly an erudite work, and you get a sense of this way of thinking that i'm not quite at home with, but can follow. i'm just left wondering what i've retained from the read :)

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Jul 23, 2012 voong marked it as gave-up-on · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, essays, philosophy-logic

The introduction was pretty interesting, and got me hooked. But it just went downhill from there. I never got to finish the book, and I gave up on it, twice, a few pages after the beginning of the first chapter. I guess I had expected something more lucid, and rational than his constant allusions to deities.

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Jul 30, 2011 BHodges added it

Terry Eagleton’s book reads as an extended meditation on the existence of evil through analysis of its nature. Full review later.

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Aug 27, 2011 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

a quick and thought provoking read about the nature of evil as it is described in art and culture.

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Mar 30, 2011 Travis S rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first non fiction book I had a hard time putting down since school

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Feb 15, 2013 Cem rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ever since his book After Theory, Eagleton has taken up ethics as a primary preoccupation, which as another reviewer has pointed out, "links him to Zizek" (both atheists and marxist-materialists as well), perhaps partly because much of contemporary theory steers clear of moral arguments that inevitably deal in absolutes. However, it is obvious that Eagleton is truly concerned with the state of the world and its inhabitants rather than the state of theory, which makes this book valuable in the qu...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars

An excellent discussion on the modern conception of evil, drawing from literary and historical sources. I would say that Eagleton characterizes evil as arbitrary malignancy; evil is malice as its own end.

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Nov 28, 2011 Passive Apathetic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: terry-eagleton, reviews

Terry Terry, I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the only man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed upon to marry. (Unfortunately for me, you are already merry with your wifey).

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Nov 10, 2010 Rob rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyed this book ... my first encounter with Eagleton and well-worth the library fine I paid for keeping it way past its due date. He draws on literature and contemporary events to explore our understanding of evil, provides a theological critique of that understanding, and sets that in the context of contemporary crises related to "extremism" -- timely and well written.

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May 18, 2013 William is currently reading it

May 15, 2013 Kamile Batur rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 14, 2013 Steven Pilling rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 11, 2013 Timothy Lindhagen-våge marked it as to-read

May 11, 2013 Carina rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About Terry Eagleton

British literary critic

He is a British literary theorist widely regarded as Britain's most influential living literary critic.

Eagleton currently serves as Distinguished Professor of English Literature at the University of Lancaster, and as a Visiting Professor at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Formerly Eagleton was Thomas Warton Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxf...more

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Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate

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