Ethics. An essay on the understanding of evil

This small book by a prominent modern French philosopher was written for the popular Nous series on basic philosophical concepts. However, where one might have expected a dry and concise introduction, Alain Badiou ventured into an ardent pamphlet against the prevailing ethical ideology today. According to Badiou, the main mistake of modern liberal ethics is that it first tries to give a dogmatic definition of evil, and only then moves on to delineate good or truth as its absence. In contrast to his opponents, Badiou offers a positive doctrine he calls the "ethics of truths," arguing that the true philosopher must first define what is "good" or "true," identifying evil simply as a betrayal or departure from those truths.