Cruelty is such a ubiquitous and at the same time disturbing phenomenon that we take for granted that we understand what it is, and how it impacts the ways in which we think about our humanity as a moral condition-how we understand our moral significance. Cruelty: A Book About Us offers an accessible interrogation of cruelty and humanity, and, most critically, it provides a groundwork for us to raise questions collectively; it is an invitation for us all to join in the dialogue. Through academic studies, literary works, and' personal stories and observations, this book provokes deeper insights into why cruel acts trouble our usual ways of articulating and addressing wrongness. Mining interdisciplinary sources, it excavates what we may not know we don't know and guides us in conversations about this profoundly evocative and often uneasy subject.
Rare these days is a new work of philosophy that changes your life. But this book will. It changed mine. Maggie Schein's careful, probing, humane investigation of cruelty ultimately delivers a beautiful and compelling case for what any living creature needs to thrive--a world that recognizes and supports its distinctive and defining capacities. Cruelty does the opposite: it consists of acts that use any creature's own capacities against itself for its destruction. The negative case is chilling, but the positive case inspiring.
-Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor and Director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University
With so much violence in the world, it is never unwise to take a good look at the human being's marked ability for cruelty. Dr. Maggie Schein does so in a truly engaging way, which combines the profound acumen of a philosopher with the affective potency of a poet. In an academic world where far too much scholarship sinks into a whirlpool of technical jargon and tribal professionalism, her book aims directly at the heart of the matter, even if it is a sorely bleeding heart.
-Professor Giorgio Baruchello, Professor, University of Akureyri, and author of Humour and Cruelty (2022)
Cruelty: A Book About Us initiates a new dialogue about a perennial topic. It confronts realities and experiences we all share but often shy away from discussing. Cruelty is as ubiquitous as it is enigmatic. This book draws from diverse sources: philosophy, psychology, literature, law, history, journalism, and personal narratives. Schein guides us through the complex and provocative conversation about an issue that should trouble us all. This work not only uses the subject of cruelty to help us understand our worst behavior but also provides unique lenses through which to think about goodness, faith, belonging, education, and ways to better practice being human.
Maggie Schein received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago's Committee on Social Thought. She is a scholar, author, and educator. She was the Research Director for a humanities lab at Harvard University, served under a Mellon Foundation Grant, is the author of Los Cantos of the Ouroboros Caves, and has worked as a character assessment analyst for law enforcement and other institutions.
