Course description
Hannah Arendt observed that “The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.” In this course, we will examine why ordinary people can behave in extraordinarily deplorable ways without intending to do so. The course considers the problem of evil from many different perspectives. How sure are you that you wouldn’t do something evil? The main questions to be analyzed include: What is evil? Are human evil by nature? What is the source of evil? Why is the existence of evil and suffering a problem for theistic conceptions of the world? In addition to exploring these questions, we shall seek to understand both individual and group evil. The course analyzes whether we are born evil or whether social, cultural, environmental and situational factors create evil.
Course details
Credit transfer
Have you taken this course or an equivalent course? Contact the Credit Transfer Office.
Registration dates
Not all courses are offered each term.
Spring 2026 registration opens March 2, 2026.Fall 2026 registration opens June 29, 2026.
Delivery options
In person: classes held in person on a campus/site in a classroom/lab/shop/studio for the course duration
Online - Asynchronous: 100% online delivery, no scheduled day or time course requirements with the instructor, assigned due dates
Online - Synchronous: 100% online delivery, scheduled day and time course requirements with the instructor, assigned due dates
Hybrid: any combination of in person, timetabled, on campus, online, and hyflex delivery