Making Evil - with Dr. Julia Shaw

02 April 2019| Miranda Ace Hotel Shoreditch, London, UK

Virtual Futures presents Dr. Julia Shaw in conversation on her new book, 'Making Evil: The Science Behind Humanity’s Dark Side' (Canongate, 2019).

What is it about “evil" that we find so compelling? From our obsession with serial killers to violence in pop culture, we seem inescapably drawn to the stories of monstrous acts and the people who commit them.

Dr. Julia Shaw’s scientific exploration breaks down evil into its individual components, and dissects each piece. She shows us that the same dispositions that make us capable of heinous crimes may also work to our advantage. And, if evil is within all of us, should it be said to exist at all?

In Making Evil, Shaw uses a compelling mix of science, popular culture and real life examples to break down timely and important issues. How similar is your brain to a psychopath’s? How many people have murder fantasies? Can A.I. be evil? Do your sexual proclivities make you a bad person? Who becomes a terrorist?

Dr. Julia Shaw is a psychological scientist (UCL). She is best known for her work in the areas of memory and criminal psychology.

In 2017 Dr. Shaw co-founded the memory science and artificial intelligence start-up Spot. Spot helps employees report workplace harassment and discrimination, and empowers organizations to build a more inclusive and respectful work environment.

In 2016 she published her bestselling debut book "The Memory Illusion", which has appeared in 20 languages. Her second book, due to appear in February 2019 in English, is entitled "Making Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side". It was released in late 2018 in German, where it became a Spiegel bestseller. She is also a regular contributor to Scientific American.