Product Description

To look into the darkness of the human soul is a frightening venture, yet here Mary Midgley does so with her customary brilliance and clarity - to read Wickedness is to understand her reputation as one of the great moral philosophers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #234252 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
'Mary Midgely is a philosopher with what many have come to admire, and some to fear, as one of the sharpest critical pens in the West.' - Steven Rose, author of The Conscious Brain

'Mary Midgley may be the most frightening philosopher in the country: the one before whom it is least pleasant to appear a fool.' - The Guardian

'I have now read the book twice, not because it is difficult (on the contrary it reads with the ease and elegance of Bertrand Russell), but because it is so stimulating.' - Brian Masters, The Spectator

'Mrs Midgley has set out to delineate not so much the nature as the sources of wickedness. Though she calls the book a philosophical essay, it is more a contribution to psychology. The book is clearly written, with a refreshing absence of technical jargon, and each chapter is followed by a useful summary of its principal arguments.' - A.J. Ayer, The Listener

' I have now read the book twice, not because it is difficult (on the contrary it reads with the ease and elegance of Bertrand Russell), but because it is so stimulating.' - Brian Masters, The Spectator

From the Back Cover
To look into the darkness of the human soul is a frightening venture. Here Mary Midgley does so, with her customary brilliance and clarity. In Wickedness she sets out to delineate not so much the nature of wickedness as its actual sources. Midgley's analysis proves that the capacity for real wickedness is an inevitable part of human nature. This is not, however, a blanket acceptance of evil. She provides us with a framework that accepts its existence yet offers humankind the possibility of rejecting this part of our nature. Out of this dark journey she returns with an offering to us: an understanding of human nature that enhances our very humanity. To read Wickedness is to understand Mary Midgley's reputation as one of the world's greatest moral philosophers.

About the Author
Mary Midgley (1919-), a philosopher with a special interest in ethics, human nature and science, has a widespread international following for her work. Other publications include The Ethical Primate, Science as Salvation, Utopias, Dolphins and Computers and, most recently, Science and Poetry

Customer Reviews

Wide ranging examination of human nature and evil
I can heartily recommend this book for its sheer readability alone, its the first book I read by Midgley and I've gone on to read many of her other books.

Midgely brings significant literary talent to bare on the topic of moral philosophy, considering and condensing a wide range of sources which have attempted to provide objective accounts of wickedness and evil in human nature. There is an introduction by Midgely which considers how well it has aged and developments since the time of writing.

There is a great contents and index too, allowing anyone pressed for time reading it in the course of their studies to cut to the passages which interest them, for instance consideration of Freud and Lorenz.

This is definitely a book I can recommend to any reader, academic or generally interested reader, it is more accessible for the general reader than either Heart and Mind or Evolution as a Religion also in the Routledge Classics range. This read will prove interesting to anyone who muses about human nature.