Civic Virtue and the Sovereignty of Evil

There is a growing perception of ethical crisis in public life. Circumstances of political uncertainty, fueled by the rise of international terror and global financial crisis, have seriously strained the practice of civic virtue. Our turbulent times have prompted many people to think less about the 'good life' and the 'good society' and more about their basic needs for safety and reassurance. Consequently, whilst prominent public commentators call for the reassertion of civic virtue in the public square, it is very hard to see what basis there can be for its practice in present conditions. This book articulates a new perspective on public morality in uncertain times by defending a radical re-orientation of civic ethics, away from the pursuit of the good society and towards the prevention of the great evils of human existence. Evil is the sovereign concept in the domain of political philosophy, and its acknowledgement as such necessitates a new way of thinking about morality in public life. Edyvane deploys a novel approach by drawing on the insights of art and literature in order to shed new light on key scholarly debates concerning the nature of civic virtue and central political ideas including justice, community and hope.