Ologies with Alie Ward

Critical Ponerology (WHAT IS “EVIL”?) with Kenneth MacKendrick

October 22, 2025

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  • Critical Ponerology, as studied by Dr. Kenneth MacKendrick, focuses less on the existential reality of evil and more on how humans use the *concept* of evil, often linking it to notions of impurity, dirt, and the process of turning subjects into objects. 
  • The concept of 'dirt' (matter out of place, according to Mary Douglas) is a foundational element in making the concept of evil 'thinkable,' as things deemed 'dirt' are eliminated without trial, unlike those labeled 'immoral' or 'criminal.' 
  • The word 'evil' is a highly loaded term frequently used in political discourse (more often by the political right, according to listener data cited) and in personal relationships to gain control, power, or to avoid difficult, nuanced conversations. 
  • The feminine is very often cross-culturally associated with prevalent notions of evil, danger, impurity, or pollution, often stemming from patriarchal justifications. 
  • The concept of 'evil genius' persists because sharp, intelligent threats are inherently scarier and more compelling than less capable antagonists. 
  • Dr. MacKendrick advocates moving beyond the binary classification of 'good versus evil' to examine dirt, or 'matter out of place,' as a fascinating lens for understanding what defies cultural categories. 

Segments

Introduction to Dr. MacKendrick
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(00:00:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Dr. Kenneth MacKendrick teaches Critical Ponerology and authored ‘Evil: A Critical Primer,’ specializing in human beings’ engagement with the notion of evil.
  • Summary: Dr. Kenneth MacKendrick is a professor at the University of Manitoba with extensive academic background in critical theory and ethics. He has taught courses on evil for 25 years, focusing on how ordinary concepts become extraordinary representations of evil. His book, ‘Evil: A Critical Primer,’ explores various cultural approaches to the concept.
Ponerology vs. Study of Evil
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(00:03:41)
  • Key Takeaway: Ponerology, often theological and monotheistic, differs from Dr. MacKendrick’s study, which focuses on human beings and supernatural representations of evil like demons and vampires.
  • Summary: The term ‘ponerology’ often implies a faith-based, typically Christian, theological discussion of evil. Dr. MacKendrick’s interest lies in how humans discuss evil, including supernatural manifestations found in comic books, Dungeons and Dragons, and horror fiction. For him, studying religion involves examining how the ordinary is transformed into the extraordinary.
Critique of Existing Evil Literature
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(00:05:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Traditional literature on evil often focuses on atrocities like genocide and torture, but misses the crucial question of how the concept of evil becomes thinkable in the first place.
  • Summary: Standard books on evil typically cover genocide, torture, natural disasters, and fictional representations like Darth Vader. Dr. MacKendrick finds these useful for highlighting atrocity but seeks to understand the historical and cultural process that allows humans to apprehend something as evil. This process is exemplified by the characters in Dracula deciding to obliterate the Count without legal recourse.
Vengeance, Justice, and Control
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(00:09:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Labeling something as ’evil’ grants the speaker a degree of control over the situation and power over others who accept that conception.
  • Summary: The line between vengeance and justice requires a scale of what is just, and terms like ‘criminal’ are used to vilify people. In everyday life, using the word ’evil’ can be a way to control a situation or gain power if others adopt that definition. Academically, Dr. MacKendrick studies how people wield these terms and their effectiveness.
Loaded Language and Context
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(00:11:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Terms like ’evil’ and ‘religion’ are loaded, making it often more helpful to use less freighted adjectives to avoid immediate assumptions and baggage in conversation.
  • Summary: Dr. MacKendrick avoids using the term ’evil’ casually in family discussions about politics or social issues because it carries too much baggage. Similar to the word ‘religion,’ using ’evil’ causes people to make immediate assumptions about the speaker’s stance or identity. He prefers discussing popular culture topics like zombies and superheroes to avoid delivering a ‘sermon.’
Evil and the Concept of Dirt
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(00:17:55)
  • Key Takeaway: The concept of evil is historically and culturally grafted onto the basic idea of ‘clean and dirty,’ where ‘dirt’ is anything blurry at the borders of a classification system.
  • Summary: Dirt, defined by Mary Douglas as appearing when things are disorderly, is something that gets eliminated without a trial, unlike immoral people who receive due process. This concept is crucial because things identified as evil are often those that are simply swept away or discarded without registration. Soil, conversely, is naturally occurring and full of life, whereas dirt is displaced soil.
Impurity vs. Intention in Evil
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(00:26:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Ritualistic understandings of evil focus on impurity transferred through contact, where intention (will) is irrelevant, contrasting with modern moral theory where evil is associated with the will to oppress.
  • Summary: In ritual contexts, evil is often defined by impurity resulting from contact with something forbidden (like a corpse), making the individual dangerous to the community and cosmos. This contrasts with the modern idea that evil is tied to the will or intention to oppress. Purity crusades are driven by this need to eliminate perceived impurity rather than moral argumentation.
Evil in Historical Oppression
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(00:28:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The term ’evil’ has historically been used by dominant groups, such as school officials in Canada’s residential school system, to label and oppress victims by framing their traditional ways as ‘savage and evil.’
  • Summary: When belief in supernatural demons waned, the term ’evil’ was conveniently reapplied to social groups like the rich or monarchies, benefiting those in power. In the Canadian residential school system, teachers used the word ’evil’ to justify genocide by labeling Indigenous traditions as ‘savage.’ Colonialism often works by moving harmful actions below the threshold of perception so they can be swept away, much like cleaning dirt from a floor.
Subjectivity, Objectification, and Harm
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(00:34:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Cultures emphasizing a stark subject-object model are prone to turning human subjects into objects or commodities, which is a painful process unless contextually necessary (like in surgery or emergency rescue).
  • Summary: When a subject-object view is heavily enforced, it leads to dehumanization, where people are portrayed as objects or animals, a mechanism seen in war casualties. Being treated as a thing rather than a person is deeply painful, though objectification is necessary in specific professional contexts like medicine. Animating objects, conversely, by treating them as subjects (like a coffee table), can lead to better care for the environment and other entities.
Defining Evil: Dangers and Aversions
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(00:37:48)
  • Key Takeaway: For academic study, Dr. MacKendrick defines evil broadly as ‘dangers and aversions’—anything a person or group decides to avoid or deem dangerous.
  • Summary: Defining terms is crucial before studying them; if one claims billionaires are evil, the criteria (personal wealth, political power, etc.) must be specified. Using the definition of ‘dangers and aversions’ reveals that humans avoid many things, including sexuality, corpses, and even unanswered phone calls. This broad definition shows how easily the term can be applied to almost anything deemed undesirable or dangerous.
Shame, Disgust, and Evil Labeling
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(00:24:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Emotions like shame and disgust are prime candidates for targeting things as evil because they are deeply aversive, leading people to project their self-condemnation or revulsion onto others.
  • Summary: Shame involves feeling fundamentally flawed (‘I’m the worst’), whereas guilt focuses on a specific bad behavior (‘I’m sorry for what I did’). Anything that causes shame or disgust is easily targeted as evil, such as labeling a professor who critiques an exam as the ’evil one’ due to the pain inflicted. This mechanism is often exploited in advertising to sell purity by describing targets as disgusting.
Language and Conceptualization
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(00:56:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Language development enables the perception and articulation of new concepts, such as seeing new colors.
  • Summary: Developing new vocabularies allows for new ways of approaching complex subjects like evil. If a word for a concept, like the color orange, does not exist, one cannot perceive or communicate that concept. This process of developing new language is ongoing for feelings and understanding the world.
Cultural Association of Evil and Gender
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(00:56:57)
  • Key Takeaway: The feminine is almost universally associated with concepts of danger, pollution, and impurity across many cultures.
  • Summary: Research indicates a cross-cultural finding where the feminine often coincides with prevalent notions of evil, being categorized as harmful or untrustworthy. Patriarchal thinkers have historically used strategies to justify or enforce women into these impure positions, often marginalizing their voices. Exceptions exist, but the association of men as pure and women as impure is remarkably durable.
Evil Linked with Genius
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(00:58:54)
  • Key Takeaway: The pairing of ’evil’ with ‘genius’ is compelling because intelligent threats are perceived as significantly more dangerous.
  • Summary: The concepts of genius and madness historically overlapped, as extraordinary traits could be attributed to divine or demonic influence. A sharp, intelligent opponent, like an ’evil genius’ or a powerful machine villain, presents a much greater threat than a less capable one. This combination attracts attention and creates a compelling, scary narrative.
Least Favorite Depictions of Evil
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(01:00:25)
  • Key Takeaway: The most frustrating concepts of evil for Dr. MacKendrick are the idea that women are inherently evil and the simplistic binary of God as good versus the Devil as evil.
  • Summary: The notion that women are evil is a concept that significantly impedes academic and social discourse, causing frustration when women’s contributions are ignored. Dr. MacKendrick seeks to move away from the binary of ‘God is good and the devil is evil’ to examine pollution and what people are willing to approach or consume. The harmful concept is often the classification system itself, prompting the question of whose system benefits from such divisions.
Fascination with Matter Out of Place
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(01:02:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Dr. MacKendrick’s greatest fascination lies with ‘dirt,’ defined by Mary Douglas as ‘matter out of place,’ which defies categorization.
  • Summary: Dirt represents things that do not fit within established categories or fall into the crevices of how the world is viewed, such as Dracula who belongs nowhere. While sometimes destroyed, this ‘dirt’ can also offer opportunities for learning when viewed through a different lens. The permutations of matter out of place are endless because every worldview has a horizon beyond which lies the unknown or the monstrous.