Explaining away even the most horrific acts of violence by saying some people are just wicked is understandable—but it won’t help us build a safer society. Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic.

Source: Wikimedia Commons The phenomenon of evil has always been part of human existence but is particularly pervasive in our present times. By definition, we think of evil as being purely negative, ...

“Ghost” is defined as the spirit of a dead person imagined as visiting the living; while “demons” are considered malevolent supernatural entities; and “evil spirits” are seen as envoys of chaos. Many ...

We open our discussion with a powerful statement from Father Pedro Arrupe, S. J., former head of the Jesuit order, in his 1973 Address to Graduates of Jesuit Schools in Europe: “It is easy to be good ...