Written across the disciplines of art history, literature, philosophy, sociology, and theology, the ten essays comprising the collection all insist on multidimensional definitions of evil. Taking its title from a moment in Shakespeare's Tempest when Prospero acknowledges his responsibility for Caliban, this collection explores the necessarily ambivalent relationship between humanity and evil. To what extent are a given society's definitions of evil self-serving? Which figures are marginalized in the process of identifying evil? How is humanity itself implicated in the production of evil? Is evil itself something fundamentally human? These questions, indicative of the kinds of issues raised in this collection, seem all the more pressing in light of recent world events. The ten essays were originally presented at the First Global Conference on Perspectives on Evil and Human Wickedness, held in March 2000, in Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. At the Interface/Probing the Boundaries seeks to encourage and promote cutting edge inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary projects and inquiry. By bringing people together from differing contexts, disciplines, professions, and vocations, the aim is to engage in conversations that are innovative, imaginative, and creatively interactive. Inter-Disciplinary dialogue enables people to go beyond the boundaries of what they usually encounter and share in perspectives that are new, challenging, and richly rewarding. This kind of dialogue often illuminates one's own area of work, is suggestive of new possibilities for development, and creates exciting horizons for future conversations with persons from a wide variety of national and international settings. By sharing cross-disciplinary insights and perspectives, ATI/PTB publications are designed to be both exploratory examinations of particular areas and issues, and rigorous inquiries into specific subjects. Books in the series are enabling resources which will encourage sustained and creative dialogue, and become the future resource for further inquiries and research.
