Dr Julia Shaw: Why do we do bad things?

Everyone does bad things. We know deep down are wrong, but we do them anyway. Sometimes, people do things so bad that we call them evil.

Criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw says there’s no such thing as evil. In her book Making Evil, she argues that we should ditch the idea altogether, and try to understand so-called “evil” people.

In this week’s episode of the Science Focus Podcast, she talks about psychopaths, mental illness and why we do bad things.

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This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.

Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:

• Jack Lewis: Sin and why we do the things we shouldn't
• ASMR science: are 'brain tingles' more than just a feeling?
• Jesse Bering: What can psychology tell us about suicide?
• Pete Etchells: Are video games good for us?
• Helen Russell: What does it mean to be happy?
• Gary Barker: What does it mean to be a man?

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