内容简介
Wearestillsurprisedbyevil.FromAuschwitztotheeventsofSeptember11,wehavebeenshockedintorecognizingthestartlingcapacityforevilwithinthehumanheart.Wenowknow9/11revealedthatourcountrywasunpreparedintermsofnationalsecurity,butitalsoshowedwewereintellectuallyandmorallyunpreparedtodealwithsuchabarbaricact.Ourlanguagetodescribeevilandourethicalwilltoresistithavegrownuncertainandconfused.Manywhospeakunabashedlyofevilaredismissedassimplistic,old–fashioned,andoutoftunewiththerealitiesofmodernlife.Yetwemusthavesomekindoflanguagetohelpusunderstandthepainandsufferingattheheartofhumanexperience.AuthorandspeakerOsGuinnessconfrontsourinabilitytounderstandevil–letalonerespondtoiteffectively–byprovidingbothalexiconandastrategyforfindingawayforward.Since9/11,muchpublicdiscussionhascenteredonthedestructivenessofextremistreligion.Guinnessprovocativelyarguesthatthisisfarfromanaccuratepictureandtooeasyanexplanation.Inthisexpansiveexplorationofboththecausesofmodernevilandsolutionsforthefuture,hefacesourtragicrecentpastandourdisturbingpresentwithcourageoushonesty.Inordertolivean"examinedlife,"Guinnesswrites,wemustcometotermswithourbeliefsregardingevilandultimatelyjointhefightagainstit.Addressingindividualsaswellasatraumatizedculture,Unspeakableisaninvitationtoexplorethechallengeofcontemporaryevil,acalltoconfrontourcultureoffear,andajourneytofindwordstocometotermswiththeunspeakablesothatitwillnolongerleaveusmute.