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Joining insights from social science and philosophy, this book offers a nuanced view on the discourse of evil, which has been on the rise in the West in recent years. Exploring the famous 'Pear Theft' episode in St Augustine's Confessions, it looks beyond the theological implications of the event to focus instead on the secular insights that it offers when the event is placed in the context of social thought. With attention to Augustine's lengthy reflections on a seemingly marginal episode, the author contends that it is possible to discern the elements of a convincing account of intentional evil action, the Pear Theft representing a case of joint radical improvisation that lacks collective deliberation. As such, a new perspective emerges on familiar and more intuitive forms of evil in joint action that involve group identification and institutional action. Evil in Joint Action will appeal to scholars of sociology, social theory and philosophy with interests in ethics, collective action and concepts of evil.
List of contents
1. A Gratuitous Act 2. The Guise of the Bad 3. Augustinian Absurdity 4. Perfect Hatred 5. Of Pride and Shame 6. From Incident to Institution Epilogue: Ethical Hate
About the author
Hans Bernhard Schmid is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Vienna, Austria. He is the author of
Plural Action: Essays in Philosophy and Social Science and
Moralische Integrität: Kritik eines Konstrukts, and the co-editor of
From Conventionalism to Social Authenticity: Heidegger's Anyone and Contemporary Social Theory.
Summary
Exploring the famous ‘Pear Theft’ episode in St Augustine’s Confessions, this book looks beyond the theological implications of the event to focus instead on the secular insights that it offers, with particular reference to its relevance for the development of a new account of joint action and collective wrongdoing.
