Critical Ponerology (WHAT IS “EVIL”?) with Dr. Kenneth MacKendrick
Photo credit: Joseph O., University of Manitoba
What is evil? Who is evil? Does evil exist? Who decides? Can we scream over turkey at grandma’s house? Let’s chat Critical Ponerology with scholar, professor, author of Evil: A Critical Primer, and a gem of a person, Dr. Kenneth MacKendrick of the University of Manitoba. He’s been teaching courses on the notion of evil for 25 years and it’s a much deeper rabbit hole than you’d ever expect. So rub your fingers together and enjoy a discussion about different cultural approaches to evil, if your toddler is evil, vampires, angry mobs seeking vigilante justice, news personalities saying unhinged things, and subjects vs. objects. Also: why you should be nicer to your coffee table.
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Buy Dr. MacKendrick’s book, Evil: A Critical Primer, on Amazon or Bookshop.org
A donation went to North Point Douglas Women’s Centre
Links to things we discussed:
Faculty of Arts | University of Manitoba - Profile - Kenneth MacKendrick
Evil in World Religions at the University of Manitoba (2002-2008)
The study of evil: U of M course deals with the tough topic of evil | The Manitoban
Ponerology Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
Dungeons & Dragons - Wikipedia
Others in Mind: Social Origins of Self-Consciousness by Philippe Rochat
Purity and Danger by Mary Douglas
Speaking of Psychology: What’s the difference between guilt and shame? With June Tangney, PhD
From Bear Rock Mountain: The Life and Times of a Dene Residential School Survivor by Antoine Mountain
Delivering on Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action
Reports - National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
How Thousands of Indigenous Children Vanished in Canada
Canadian Indian residential school gravesites - Wikipedia
Black Homicide Victimization in the United States | Violence Policy Center
'DISTURBING': MSNBC hosts DESTROY Fox anchor for shocking call to KILL homeless people
Which members of Congress write to constituents about "evil"? And what are they talking about? by Lindsey Cormack
How 'Evil' Became a Conservative Buzzword
Operation of the Laws of Sympathetic Magic in Disgust and Other Domains
Why Do Kids Have Imaginary Friends? - The Atlantic
Hillary Clinton's 'Basket Of Deplorables,' In Full Context Of This Ugly Campaign
Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization – The White House
Guide to the Study of Religion
Do You Eat Them for Dessert? - Department of Religious Studies, University of Alabama
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