They terrify us, and yet we love to read about them, to watch films about them, and some even fantasize about meeting them; this is the horror-pleasure reaction to serial killers whose gruesome acts hold a deep and disturbing lure. Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone offers a philosophical examination of real and fictional serial killers, and investigates our profound intrigue with serial-murderers.

Authors from various academic fields, as well as true crime writers and police officers delve into such questions as: What drives people to kill repeatedly? Can a serial killer be good and moral? What is it about serial killers that fascinates us? Do serial killers such as Ian Brady, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and the Zodiac killer, or fictional characters such as Dexter or Hannibal Lecter, make us understand ourselves differently?

Investigating existential, ethical and political questions via real murder cases, this is a philosophical examination of our enduring fascination with these grisly figures.