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Ologies with Alie Ward

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

22 Oct 2025

Transcription

Full Episode

0.031 - 16.842 Allie Ward

Oh, hey, it's the dog toy under the couch that you won't find for another four months, Allie Ward, and it's evil. Let's talk about it with a professor in the Department of Religion at the University of Manitoba, who has written the book on it. It's titled Evil, A

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16.822 - 40.595 Allie Ward

critical primer and teaches the course evil in world religions they have a bachelor in religious studies a master's in critical theory and religion and feminist ethics and a phd in critical theory ethics hermeneutics and psychoanalysis and who will deal with my questions such as what is evil Who is evil? What do we do about evil? Can we scream over turkey at grandma's house?

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40.895 - 60.883 Allie Ward

We're going to get into it. But first, thank you so much to patrons who support the show and have from the beginning. And y'all leave your questions. You too can join for a dollar a month at patreon.com slash ologies. Thanks to everyone wearing ologies merch from ologiesmerch.com. If you have kids or sensitive ears, we also have versions of ologies that are classroom and kid-safe, G-rated.

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60.943 - 82.027 Allie Ward

Those are in their own feed. They're called Smologies, S-M-O-L-O-G-I-E-S, which is linked in the show notes. Thank you to anyone who leaves reviews for the show, which help so much, and I read all of them, and I approve it with a recent one. This one is from Tomatio22, who wrote that the show makes the interesting extremely interesting and the uninteresting interesting. equally as interesting.

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82.268 - 103.349 Allie Ward

And also, after listening to last week's cockroach episode, the show made them eat bugles. For the first time in over a decade, they say no regerts. Tomatillo22, may the horn be with you. It is also with me. Also, thank you to sponsors of the show who make it possible for us to donate to a cause that Theologist chooses each week. Okay, critical ponorology.

103.85 - 119.667 Allie Ward

So ponorology comes from the Greek word for evil, and you will understand why the critical is in there in a minute. We fudged it a little bit, but ever since I saw the word ponorology on this big ologies list as the study of evil, I have wanted to explore the topic so much.

120.187 - 143.061 Allie Ward

So let's talk about the origins of evil, different cultural approaches to the notion, who uses the word evil to mean what if your toddler is evil? vampires, angry mobs seeking vigilante justice, news personalities saying unhinged things. When you are a subject and when you are an object, why should you be nicer to your coffee table? And if evil exists, and who says so?

143.382 - 151.656 Allie Ward

With scholar, author, professor, gem of a person, and we'll just say critical ponorologist, Dr. Kenneth McKendrick.

169.928 - 175.185 Kenneth McKendrick

My name is Kenneth McKendrick, and my pronouns are he, him, they, them. Let me jump right in.

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