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Introduction: The hunger -- Your inner sadist: the neuroscience of evil -- On Hitler's brain, aggression and psychopathy -- Murder by design : the psychology of bloodlust -- On serial killers, toxic masculinity and ethical dilemmas -- The freak show : deconstructing creepiness -- On clowns, evil laughs and mental illness -- Two-faced tech : how technology changes us -- On air pirates, bad bots and cyber trolls -- Kinky as f*ck : the science of sexual deviance -- On S&M, coming out and zoophilia -- To catch a predator : understanding paedophiles -- On understanding, preventing and humanising -- Snakes in suits : the psychology of groupthink -- On paradoxes, slavery and ethical blindness -- And I said nothing : the science of compliance -- On Nazis, rape culture and terrorism -- Conclusion. "What is it about evil that we find so compelling? From our obsession with serial killers to violence in pop culture, we seem inescapably drawn to the stories of monstrous acts and the aberrant people who commit them. But evil, Dr. Julia Shaw argues, is largely subjective. What one may consider normal, like sex before marriage, eating meat, or working on Wall Street, others find abhorrent. And if evil is only in the eye of the beholder, can it be said to exist at all? In [this book], Shaw uses an engrossing mix of science, popular culture, and real-life examples to break down timely and provocative issues. How similar is your brain to a psychopath's? How many people have murder fantasies? Can artificial intelligence be evil? Do your sexual proclivities make you a bad person? Who becomes a terrorist? If you could travel back in time, would you kill baby Hitler? In asking these questions, Shaw urges readers to discover empathy and to rethink and reshape what it means to be bad. [This book] is a wide-ranging exploration into a fascinating, darkly compelling subject from a wickedly smart and talented writer."--Dust jacket Dr. Julia Shaw, a criminal psychologist, uses the latest scientific research to offer a more enlightened and nuanced explanation for why people behave so badly and how we can prevent evil acts by understanding more profoundly how such acts come about - and what truly makes us evil
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