Abstract: “Evil” has been a key word in the German philosophical tradition since modern times. Immanuel Kant's concept of “radical evil” serves as the foundation for the abstract and universal nature of humanity, exploring the possibilities and limits of humanity within the theoretical framework of transcendental philosophy, and the theological implications of evil are played down. In the latter half of the twentieth century and the early twenty-first century, two world wars devastated Western civilization, resulting in catastrophes such as the Holocaust, prompting reflections on humanity. French philosophy, known for freedom and intervention, responded to and expounded upon the concept of “evil” inherited from the German philosophical tradition. Influenced by the postmodern trend, it infused the concept with unutterable and unfathomable meanings. Within the French historical context and through the interactions with German philosophy, the concept of “evil” underwent constant transformation and even rupture. The historical significance of “evil” is undergoing a fundamental shift, paradoxically represented and expressed in aesthetic theories and tangible works of literature and art. Thus, the French perspective on the concept of “evil” is characterized by its potentials for redemption.

Key words: “evil”, conceptual history, self, the other, literature, the post-World War II period