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(More customer reviews)In "Anatomy of Evil," Dr. Stone (known for his Discovery Channel show, "Most Evil") defines and expands upon the "scale of evil" he uses on the series. Going much further in depth and scholarly analysis than in that excellent series (yet remaining accessible from a lay person's point of view), he defines "evil" against a backdrop of religious, philosophical and psychological debate, favoring in the end a usage that is really separate from those disciplines, and that emerges from contemporary consensus (culled from newscasts, reports, the sentences by a judge, etc.). An important feature of the book is that Stone focuses chiefly here on heinous acts in peacetime (as opposed to in the name of one warring faction, political regime, or another, which Stone suggests would be material for an entirely separate book). Stone has distilled hundreds of true crime books and a vast catalogue of the human cruelty into a compelling and chilling book. He has also interviewed serial killers in prison and mental hospitals, contributing further to his special insights as a forensic psychiatrist.
On Dr. Stone's scale, the highest numbers (the "most evil") are reserved for those who are both extremely sadistic AND are aware (that is, not driven by hallucinations, or other mental disorder) of their actions (prolonged torture, violent rape, murder, etc.), and who show little or no remorse afterward. Like Dante's Inferno, with its descending circles of Hell that Stone refers to in his chapter headings, "The Anatomy of Evil" is a sophisticated, subtle, and uncompromising analysis of the worst in humanity (including contemporary examples, such as Joseph Fritzl, the Austrian father who raped his daughter and kept her and their children in a dungeon beneath his home for decades). It also features chapters delving into the latest scientific research into pathology and the minds of many varieties of horrible people. If for only that reason -- that the book provides a scientific survey of "evil" in all its imaginative, mundane, and ruthless incarnations -- this is a worthwhile addition to the literature, and I think will be of immense value to professionals and average readers (who can stomach it!). Stone's style is gripping and his many examples (infamous and otherwise) vividly support his arguments and theses. A complete Index, with Notes, contributes to the scholarly feel. Most highly recommended.
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The crimes of Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Dennis Rader, and other high-profile killers are so breathtakingly awful that most people would not hesitate to label them 'evil'. In this ground-breaking book, renowned psychiatrist Michael H Stone - host of Discovery Channel's former series "Most Evil" - uses this common emotional reaction to horrifying acts as his starting point to explore the concept and reality of evil from a new perspective. In an in-depth discussion of the personality traits and behaviour that constitute evil across a wide spectrum, Dr Stone takes a clarifying scientific approach to a topic that for centuries has been inadequately explained by religious doctrines. Basing his analysis on the detailed biographies of over 600 violent criminals, Stone has created a 22-level hierarchy of evil behaviour, which loosely reflects the structure of Dante's Inferno. He traces two salient personality traits that run the gamut from those who commit crimes of passion to perpetrators of the worst crimes - sadistic torture and murder. One trait is narcissism, as exhibited in people who are so self-centred that they have little or no ability to care about their victims. The other is aggression, the use of power over another person to inflict humiliation, suffering, and death. Stone then turns to the various factors that, singly or intertwined, contribute to pushing certain people over the edge into committing heinous crimes. They include heredity, adverse environments, violence-prone cultures, mental illness or brain injury, and abuse of mind-altering drugs. All are considered in the search for the root causes of evil behaviour. What do psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience tell us about the minds of those whose actions could be described as evil? And what will that mean for the rest of us? Stone discusses how an increased understanding of the causes of evil will affect the justice system. He predicts a day when certain persons can safely be declared salvageable and restored to society and when early signs of violence in children may be corrected before potentially dangerous patterns become entrenched.
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