The Problem of Evil in Philosophy, Literature, and Film

This workshop will explore how the existence of evil in the world has been perceived, felt, analyzed, conceptualized, and dealt with over time, from the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami to our post-Auschwitz, post-Hiroshima era. We'll take it for granted that "the problem of evil is the guiding force of modern thought" (Susan Neiman, Evil in Modern Thought.) We'll ask why this is apparently no longer the case. Such philosophers as Rousseau, Voltaire, Diderot, Leibniz, Kant, Heidegger, Hannah Arendt, Günther Anders, Hans Jonas and Ivan Illich will be our guides. One could argue, however, that theology, metaphysics or moral philosophy are not up to the task of making sense of evil if they are not aided by literature and, today, film. Fiction can often articulate ideas that escape the grasp of philosophy. NOTE: Enrollment is capped and limited to graduate students: To be considered for enrollment in this course, please submit by March 13, 2020 a letter of motivation fleshing out the state of your own research or reflections in this domain. This letter should be sent to the instructor at jpdupuy@stanford.edu