Deliver Us From Evil: Boston University Studies in Philosophy and Religion

Description

Evil is a problem that will not go away. For some it is an inescapable fact of the human condition. For others "evil" is a term that should only be used to name the most horrible of crimes. Still others think that the worst problem lies with the abuse of the term: using it to vilify a misunderstood enemy. No matter how we approach it, "evil" is a concept that continues to call out for critical reflection. This volume collects the results of a two-year deliberation within the Boston University Institute for Philosophy of Religion lecture series, bringing together scholars of religion, literature, and philosophy. Its essays provide a thoughtful, sensitive, and wide-ranging consideration of this challenging problem-and of ways that we might be delivered from it.

M. David Eckel is an Associate Professor of Religion at Boston University, USA, and Director of the Institute for Philosophy of Religion. His publications include Jnanagarbha's Commentary on the Distinction between the Two Truths (1987), To See the Buddha: A Philosopher's Quest for the Meaning of Emptiness (1994), and Understanding Buddhism (2003). Bradley L. Herling is Professor of Religious Studies at Marymount Manhattan College, USA.

"Deliver Us From Evil is a first-rate, multi-disciplined collection of papers exploring the nature and cause of evil and the possibility of repair and redemption. This accessible work should engage scholars and general readers committed to thinking about our different concepts of good and evil in both religious and secular contexts." - Professor Charles Taliaferro, St. Olaf College, USA "This volume manages to say something simultaneously new, fascinating, and important about evil. It brings together a group of internationally renowned scholars who build here on their path-breaking work on this topic in their own fields, which span several different cultures. Together, they offer fresh and profound responses to the crises of evil that we face today." - Wendy Doniger, author of The Origins of Evil in Hindu Mythology 'There is much here to interest and stimulate humanities and social science scholars of any persuasion, and although the content is in many places immensely complex and profound, the authors and editors involved have made worthy efforts to ensure that their work is accessible to both the intelligent and lay reader and academics of all levels ... It is tempting to prescribe this as essential reading for politicians before they use the "E" word, however on a more serious note this work functions to shine a light on the multiple facets of evil, and the resultant reflections provide considerable illuminating food for thought. A detailed set of end notes and a good index make this both a valuable sourcebook and a launchpad for further exploratory research and discussion.' Dave Evans, BASR Bulletin -- Dave Evans * Bulletin *