A Grammar of Fear and Evil examines the phenomenon of fear as a primary context for the problem of evil. It claims that whereas the locution "evil" is primarily a religious interpretation of life's troubling experiences, fear is the primary experience on which this interpretation builds. Thus, the problem of evil has to be seen in the light of the fears that inform our interpretations. A grammar of fear makes possible both the description and the modalization of fear.

The one deals with the ongoing relations between self and world, while the other deals with the ways in which the relationships are approached. One of the ways of dealing with these relationships is to attribute ultimate significance - evil and good - to the threats and securities we experience.