Cruelty: Human Evil and the Human Brain - Couverture rigide

Taylor, Kathleen

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0199552622 ISBN 13 : 9780199552627

Editeur : Oxford University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Cruelty What is cruelty? What makes some people cruel? Under what conditions can cruelty grow? Taylor draws together aspects of psychology, sociology, philosophy, and her own field of neuroscience, illustrated with examples from history and the arts, in this thoughtful exploration of the nature and origins of cruelty, and how we might seek to reduce it. Full description

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

In this thoughtful exploration of a painful subject, Kathleen Taylor seeks to bring together the fruits of work in psychology, sociology, and her own field of neuroscience to shed light on the nature of cruelty and what makes human beings cruel. The question of cruelty is inevitably tied to questions of moral philosophy, the nature of evil, free will and responsibility. Taylor's approach is ambitious, but little work has been done in this area and this wide-ranging discussion, considering the roles of emotion, belief, identity and 'otherizing'; evolved instincts and differences in brains; callousness and sadism; seeks to begin to identify how we might reduce or limit cruelty in our societies by a greater understanding of its causes, and the circumstances in which it can grow. As with her highly regarded previous book, Brainwashing, Taylor draws in examples from history and literature in her study, making this a rich and multifaceted analysis that should be of interest to a wide readership, and provoke much thought, debate, and further research.

Biographie de l'auteur :

Kathleen Taylor studied physiology and philosophy at Oxford University. She went on to do a research MSc at Stirling University, working on brain chemistry, before returning to Oxford to do a DPhil in neuroscience. She has written on a range of topics, from consciousness to the psychology of wartime atrocities. In 2002 she won two writing competitions, one for science writing and one for an essay in the humanities/social sciences. Her first book, Brainwashing: the science of thought control, was published in 2004.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Oxford University Press
• Date d'édition: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0199552622
• ISBN 13: 9780199552627
• Reliure: Relié
• Numéro d'édition: 1
• Nombre de pages: 350