The famous historian and philosopher, member of the French Academy Alain Besançon turns to the interpretation of the problem of evil in the 20th century, analyzing the final works of the Russian thinker Vladimir Solovyov (philosophical essay “Three Conversations”) and the English writer George Orwell (dystopia “1984”). According to the researcher, it was these two authors, at first glance so far from each other, who with particular insight revealed the sophisticated nature of evil in the modern world, trying to seduce people under the guise of counterfeit good.

The book is intended for a wide range of readers, who are not indifferent to the ethical issues of modern culture and history.