Why Evil Exists
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Why Evil Exists
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Narrated by:
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Charles Mathewes
About this listen
Whether we view it in theological, philosophical, or psychological terms, evil remains both a deeply intriguing question and a crucially relevant global issue. Now, Professor Mathewes offers you a richly provocative and revealing encounter with the question of human evil - a dynamic inquiry into Western civilization's greatest thinking and insight on this critical subject.
With the inspired guidance of these 36 lectures, you'll engage with how both individual thinkers and larger trends of thought have faced evil, studying the work of major theologians, philosophers, poets, political theorists, novelists, psychologists, and journalists. You'll study the psychology of evil in Islamic theology, as well as the weighty meditations of St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Anselm of Lyon, and Martin Luther. And among contemporary views, you'll grasp Arthur Cohen's extraordinary post-Holocaust reformulation of faith in a God whose reality "is our prefiguration" - the promise of what we may become.
Parallel with the theological accounts, you'll also study primary currents of Western secular thinking on evil in the work of key philosophers and social theorists. You'll investigate Thomas Hobbes's proposition that good and evil are invented constructs of human language, and Kant's conception of morality as located in the human will. You contemplate Freud's hypothesis of the "death drive," an innate, destructive force of the psyche, and Hannah Arendt's highly influential analysis of the "moral inversion" of Nazism.
So why does evil exist in the world? Join a deeply insightful teacher in facing this fascinating, primordial question - a chance to bring your own most discerning thought to a crucial challenge for our world.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2011 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2011 The Great CoursesListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Why Evil Exists
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- S
- 14-10-24
Enjoyable
The lectures compared and contrasted various views about the definition of the actual evil in the world.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- jacqueline bain
- 22-01-19
Insightful and thought provoking
A timeline that shows our developing interpretation and understanding of evil.
Because Professor Mathewes was so passionate and still clear eyed on this subject and as a blind person, the tone of the voice is important to me to keep me interested, I have purchased the other course he has.
An easy five stars
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sheila
- 02-10-20
Brilliant
Wow the range and depth of knowledge and the personal thought and interpretation behind these 36 lectures is hugely impressive. The clarity of Charles Mathewes presentation of material from often dense and complicated original sources is brilliant- and to my mind pretty even handed. Please listen to what this learned man has to tell us about the to date intractable puzzle of evil in the western world. Engage with him - and those around you - in considering some of the most fundamental questions of our time. To the lecturer: ‘Thank you’ .
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- sengoku
- 25-07-15
Great!
Would you listen to Why Evil Exists again? Why?
Yes
What other book might you compare Why Evil Exists to, and why?
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Which character – as performed by Professor Charles Mathewes – was your favourite?
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Any additional comments?
Excellent lectures
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-04-22
Utterly Brilliant
Prof Matthewes' series is both erudite and accessible. He follows themes and connects dots across the millennia to show us how little humans have changed. We are still in the eternal struggle between reason and desire, power and love, and peace and justice. He doesn't give any facile answers, he just lays out the groundwork for us to consider the matter a fair bit deeper. Thanks Prof.
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- mtg101
- 09-08-20
keep on keeping on
i nearly gave up 30mins in. some Christian trope. but it gets better., dostroyevstkyb and all
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- Nia David
- 14-05-20
brilliant!
really easy to follow and listen to and very informative. definitely would recommend as a starting point to find further reading on ethics.
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- Muhannad Hariri
- 04-04-23
Worthy of close and repeated study.
I hope that this course gets updated and extended into a 2nd edition. There are so many more things that Charles Mathews could have explored. His approach is provocative and inspiring. I recommend this course to anyone interested in religion, philosophy or politics, but also to anyone curious about the ethical meaning of human beings.
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- Giddy Gilbert
- 01-01-21
EXCELLENT AUDIOBOOK
This complex subject is dissected and analysed with depth and clarity. I'm particularly impressed with the non-religious source material as they tend to use Myth as fact which i find irritating and nonsensical. Here, I'm particularly referring to the one god variety! There is no easy solution to defining the subject if indeed there is such a thing but the correct questions are postulated by powerful writers, philosophers and lastly religious ramblings of stupidity.
Why Evil Exists becomes a personal journey of reflection, meditations and prayer to the Gods to bring cohesion to many conflicts and understanding. The book is a thorough albeit an Western Introduction. The Gods of Eastern Teachings, philosophies and science would complete this study but its an essential start to knowledge.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- n
- 07-05-22
awesomeness
immense research, thought, patience, understanding, and passion in these series of lectures. awesome speaker. everyone would benefit from hearing these.
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