Nature of Good and Evil: Understanding the Acts of Moral and Immoral Behavior

by Samuel Oliner

Overview

Samuel P. Oliner has created an innovative and profound analysis of the nature of deep evil. In the best traditions of social science, he joins with luminaries such as Roy Baumeister and Ervin Staub in bringing evil into the light of scientific understanding. Oliner shows us a path away from evil through the exemplar of resilient goodness who are, in the end, no different than all of us when we too stand up against such malice.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940013479326
Publisher:	Paragon House Publishers
Publication date:	12/03/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	728 KB

About the Author

SAMUEL P. OLINER is an Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Humboldt State University, in Arcata, California. He taught in the area of race relations, anti-Semitism, genocide, the Holocaust, altruism, prosocial behavior, intergroup apology and forgiveness. Dr. Oliner has written and co-authored many books, including The Altruistic Personality: Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe.

Editorial Reviews

“Drawing upon the latest social psychology, a breathtaking nuanced look at history, personal narratives, and his own experiences during the holocaust, in this book Sam Oliner tells the deepest and most moving of the origins of good and evil I have every read. It is must reading for those who seek answers to this age old question about human nature.”

Dacher Keltner

"With this book, Samuel Oliner continues to demonstrate why he is one of the preeminent sociologists of our time, as he grapples with the most fundamental issues of life and death and the nature of good and evil. Synthesizing and culling insights from a wide-ranging interdisciplinary literature, Oliner is primarily concerned with the most radical manifestations of evil, most notably the Holocaust and the Armenian and Rwandan genocides. While shedding light on the perpetrators of evil and the bys

Ronald Berger

"Oliner has reminded us once again of the capacity of human beings for both depraved cruelty and loving heroism."

Nel Noddings

"The Nature of Good and Evil: Understanding the Many Faces of Moral and Immoral Human Behavior , by Sam Oliner, is an inspiring read. After I finished reading this book, I wanted to do good works and combat evil wherever I saw it. I will live differently because of it. Read this book. It will inspire you, too."

Everett L. Worthington

"Samuel P. Oliner's exploration of The Nature of Good and Evil is informed by his grasp of history, his mastery of sociology and the authority of his own experience as one who as a young child of the Holocaust experienced the nature of both good and evil when he was rescued by a Polish non-Jew at the risk of her life. In this work, by concentrating on the Holocaust, the Armenian and Rwandan genocides, Oliner has further solidified his well deserved reputation as a scholar of insight and discernm

Michael Berenbaum