| Summary: | This dissertation takes the work of Evagrius Ponticus, a fourth century Egyptian church father and puts it into dialogue with modern cognitive science concerning the topic of evil, specifically moral evil. Evagrius wrote about the "eight thoughts," which were transmitted by Cassian to the Western Church to later become the seven deadly sins of Gregory the Great. Evagrius writes about these 8 thoughts/demons and how to combat them. Using the work of Pierre Hadot to recover Evagrius' context and the work of Paul Ricoeur (The Symbolism of Evil) to discuss how we construct descriptions and myths of evil, I bring Evagrius into dialogue with modern cognitive science. Cognitive Science tells us that the mind is set up for myth making regarding evil, and that moral evil can sometimes be caused by a malfunction of the brain. Further, the work of Kenneth Pargament and others tells us that adding a spiritual component to psychotherapy makes it more effective. Using some of this current research, especially the work of d'Aquili and Newberg, I show that there is relevance to Evagrius' approach to combating evil. Although evil is difficult to define, it is clear that it must be combated. This is placed together into theological discussion concerning moral evil, and draws conclusions on the use of this dialogue between Evagrius and the cognitive sciences. This interdisciplinary approach to patristics, the sciences and discussions of moral evil allows for a fuller understanding and opens the pathway to more dialogue between Christian tradition and the modern sciences.
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