We assign morality to an object regardless of the fact that it is the product of human beings from the moment ink meets paper to the final press of gold leaf into the cover. The context of its creation and its provenance, coupled with wild rumors and hyperbole, leads us to assume the worst. The book itself has no agency, no intent, no will of its own. Though they might contain thoughts and ideas that are undoubtedly evil incarnate, those words are placed there by an author with the intention of spreading their vile rhetoric. Now, I can see you readying your pitchforks of “Um, actually…” and lighting the torches of pedantry, but hear me out.
I’m going to start with the bad news first: There’s no such thing as an evil book.
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