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Administration & Society
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The Rhetorical Impact of Evil on Public Policy

Jonathan F. Anderson

University of Alaska Southeast

The concept of evil is murky, colored as it is with religious undertones and ontological ramifications. Are actions or peopleevil? Is it intention or outcome that matters?Evil can be understood as an intense exploitative connection with another person or a total disconnection with the humanity of others. Normally, it is limited to human actions toward other humans. The term is used to conceptually separate people designated asevil fromthe rest of humanity. Rhetorical use ofevil is an example of sensemaking—it places the incomprehensible within an understandable framework. A designation ofevil may also be used to preclude causal analysis. In public policy, its use constructs a worldview that permits, or even demands, undertaking otherwise proscribed actions to destroy the designatedevil. By enabling the commission of what would otherwise be understood as inhumane actions, the rhetorical use of evil facilitates the very behavior it condemns.

Key Words: language • evil • torture • policy

Administration & Society, Vol. 37, No. 6, 719-730 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0095399705282880
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This article has been cited by other articles:


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