Narrating Evil: A Postmetaphysical Theory of Reflective Judgment (New Directions in Critical Theory Book 20)

Conceptions of evil have changed dramatically over time, and though humans continue to commit acts of cruelty against one another, today we possess a clearer, more moral way of analyzing them. In __Narrating Evil__, María Pía Lara explores what has changed in our understanding of evil, why the transformation matters, and how we can learn from this specific historical development. Drawing on Immanuel Kant's and Hannah Arendt's ideas about reflective judgment, Lara argues that narrative plays a key role in helping societies acknowledge their pasts. Particular stories haunt our consciousness and lead to a kind of examination and dialogue that shape notions of morality. A powerful description of a crime can act as a filter, helping us to draw conclusions about what constitutes a moral wrong, and public debates over these narratives allow us to construct a more accurate picture of historical truth, leading to a better understanding of why such actions are possible. In building her argument, Lara considers Greek tragedies, Shakespeare's depictions of evil, Joseph Conrad's literary metaphors, and movies that portray human cruelty. Turning to such philosophers and writers as Jürgen Habermas, Walter Benjamin, Primo Levi, Giorgio Agamben, and Ariel Dorfman, Lara defines a reflexive relationship between an event, the narrative of the event, and the public reception of the narrative, and she proves that the stories of perpetrators and sufferers are always intertwined. The process of disclosure, debate, and the public fashioning of collective judgment are vital methods through which we make sense not only of new forms of cruelty but of past crimes as well. __Narrating Evil__ describes the steps of this process and why they are a crucial part of our attempt to build a different, more just world.

Conceptions of evil have changed dramatically over time, and though humans continue to commit acts of cruelty against one another, today we possess a clearer, more moral way of analyzing them. In Narrating Evil, María Pía Lara explores what has changed in our understanding of evil, why the transformation matters, and how we can learn from this specific historical development.

Drawing on Immanuel Kant's and Hannah Arendt's ideas about reflective judgment, Lara argues that narrative plays a key role in helping societies acknowledge their pasts. Particular stories haunt our consciousness and lead to a kind of examination and dialogue that shape notions of morality. A powerful description of a crime can act as a filter, helping us to draw conclusions about what constitutes a moral wrong, and public debates over these narratives allow us to construct a more accurate picture of historical truth, leading to a better understanding of why such actions are possible.

In building her argument, Lara considers Greek tragedies, Shakespeare's depictions of evil, Joseph Conrad's literary metaphors, and movies that portray human cruelty. Turning to such philosophers and writers as JÃ1⁄4rgen Habermas, Walter Benjamin, Primo Levi, Giorgio Agamben, and Ariel Dorfman, Lara defines a reflexive relationship between an event, the narrative of the event, and the public reception of the narrative, and she proves that the stories of perpetrators and sufferers are always intertwined.

The process of disclosure, debate, and the public fashioning of collective judgment are vital methods through which we make sense not only of new forms of cruelty but of past crimes as well. Narrating Evil describes the steps of this process and why they are a crucial part of our attempt to build a different, more just world.

Columbia University Press

"In Narrating Evil, Maria Pia Lara explores what has changed in our understanding of evil, why the transformation matters, and how we can learn from this specific historical development." "Drawing on Immanuel Kant's and Hannah Arendt's ideas about reflective judgment, Lara argues that narrative plays a key role in helping societies acknowledge their pasts. In building her argument, Lara considers Greek tragedies, Shakespeare's depictions of evil, Joseph Conrad's literary metaphors, and movies that portray human cruelty. Turning to such philosophers and writers as Jurgen Habermas, Walter Benjamin, Primo Levi, Giorgio Agamben, and Ariel Dorfman, Lara defines a reflexive relationship between an event, the narrative of the event, and the public reception of the narrative, and she proves that the stories of perpetrators and sufferers are always intertwined." "The process of disclosure, debate, and the public fashioning of collective judgment are vital methods through which we make sense not only of new forms of cruelty but of past crimes as well. Narrating Evil describes the steps of this process and why they are a crucial part of our attempt to build a different, more just world."--Jacket Cover......Page 1 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 14 Part I: The Concepts and the Tools......Page 36 chapter 1 Why Do We Need to Create a Moral Image of the World?......Page 38 chapter 2 Storytelling......Page 56 chapter 3 Reflective Judgment and the Moral Imagination......Page 70 chapter 4 Hannah Arendt and Negative Exemplarity......Page 94 chapter 5 Learning from Catastrophes......Page 112 Part II: The Judgments......Page 0 chapter 6 What Remains? Language Remains......Page 130 chapter 7 Hearts of Darkness......Page 148 chapter 8 Death and the Maiden......Page 164 chapter 9 The Place of the “Angelus Novus”......Page 176 Epilogue......Page 192 Notes......Page 196 Bibliography......Page 226 Index......Page 232 Cover 1 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 14 Part I: The Concepts and the Tools 36 chapter 1 Why Do We Need to Create a Moral Image of the World? 38 chapter 2 Storytelling 56 chapter 3 Reflective Judgment and the Moral Imagination 70 chapter 4 Hannah Arendt and Negative Exemplarity 94 chapter 5 Learning from Catastrophes 112 Part II: The Judgments 1 chapter 6 What Remains? Language Remains 130 chapter 7 Hearts of Darkness 148 chapter 8 Death and the Maiden 164 chapter 9 The Place of the “Angelus Novus” 176 Epilogue 192 Notes 196 Bibliography 226 Index 232 Introduction The concepts and the tools Why do we need to create a moral image of the world? Storytelling : the disclosive dynamics of understanding and judging Reflective judgment and the moral imagination Hannah Arendt and negative exemplarity : the moral paradigm of history and its particularity Learning from catastrophes The judgments What remains? : language remains Hearts of darkness : political judgment Death and the maiden The place of the "angelus novus" : between catastrophes Epilogue