Cruelty:
human evil and the human brain
Kathleen Taylor
Publication date: 26th of February 2009
Human beings can be gentle and loving creatures, but we can also be extremely cruel. History suggests we always have been; recent horrors confirm that we still are. The twentieth century, which gave us remarkable advances in science and public health, also brought vicious conflicts which killed millions of soldiers and millions more innocent civilians. In the twenty-first century we seem no nearer to eliminating the scourge of cruelty. From domestic violence to the atrocities of warfare, innocents continue to suffer and die because other people want them to. Why? What makes us cruel, and can we do anything about it?
Cruelty is at the heart of human harm doing, but cruelty per se is a neglected topic compared with violence, genocide, sexual abuse etc. Yet what unites all these forms of harm doing is the deliberate choice to hurt and kill. In Cruelty, I consider that choice, examining the factors which influence a perpetrator's decision to be cruel. Drawing on the latest research from psychology and neuroscience, I explore cruelty as a scientific phenomenon, setting it in the context of human evolution and current understanding of brain function. Noting the moral context of cruelty, I describe the beliefs and emotions which can lead normally decent and law-abiding people to commit shocking acts of mutilation and murder.
Find the book on OUP USA or Amazon.co.uk.
Read my piece for the OUP blog (forthcoming)
Hear me talk about Cruelty at the Words by the Water festival (28 February 2009) or at the Edinburgh Book Festival (August 2009).