Susan Neiman’s Evil in Modern Thought: An Alternative History of Philosophy is a reinterpretation of Western philosophy through the lens of how thinkers have grappled with the problem of evil. Rather than treating evil as a secondary concern in philosophy, Neiman argues that it has been a central organizing question, shaping modernity’s intellectual landscape.

Scapegoating and the Politics of Evil

Although scapegoating is not the book’s primary focus, Neiman does engage with it indirectly, particularly in how societies process and assign blame for suffering. She examines:

• Hannah Arendt’s "banality of evil" – Arendt’s argument that evil is often bureaucratic, impersonal, and thoughtless, rather than arising from demonic individuals. This critique undermines the scapegoat model that seeks a singular villain.

• The Shoah and political evil – Neiman discusses how modern atrocities like the Holocaust force a rethinking of traditional concepts of evil. Instead of finding an external scapegoat (e.g., "Hitler was the sole problem"), she emphasizes the systemic nature of evil.

Relevance to Scapegoating Theory

• Neiman’s critique of theodicy aligns with René Girard’s claim that societies seek scapegoats to manage disorder.

• She challenges oversimplified narratives of good and evil, showing how scapegoating often serves ideological functions rather than addressing the deeper structures of harm.

• Her discussion of political evil resonates with Agamben’s ideas on homo sacer, where certain groups are marked as outside the law and sacrificed for societal cohesion.

Why It’s Worth Reading

• If you’re interested in how modernity processes suffering and responsibility.

• If you want a critique of how philosophy has (mis)handled the question of evil.

• If you see a link between the problem of evil and the way societies construct scapegoats.