discussed, debated work, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. During Eichmann’s trial, the philosopher was not only reporting but also questioning the origins of evil, thus digging herself into the field of metaphysics. Hannah Arendt elaborates on what she would come to call the banality of evil. She does not consider the banality of evil as a theory nor a doctrine, she simply uses it as a notion to explain “the phenomenon of evil deeds, committed on a gigantic scale, which could not be
"It was as though in those last minutes he was summing up the lesson that this long course in human wickedness had taught us--the lesson of the fearsome, the word-and-thought-defying banality of evil" (252). The capture and trial of Adolf Eichmann, which evoked legal and moral controversy across all nations, ended in his hanging over four decades ago. The verdict dealing with Eichmann's involvement with the Final Solution has never been in question; this aspect was an open-and-shut case which
Eichmann, the Banality of Evil, and Thinking in Arendt's Thought* ABSTRACT: I analyze the ways in which the faculty of thinking can avoid evil action, taking into account Hannah Arendt's discussion regarding the banality of evil and thoughtlessness in connection with the Eichmann trial. I focus on the following question posed by Arendt: "Could the activity of thinking as such, the habit of examining and reflecting upon whatever happens to come to pass, regardless of specific content and quite
rational people regardless of specific situational context, such as a natural condition to man in evildoing. The face of evil portrayal the high-ranking SS official at Eichmann’s trial in Jerusalem is not necessarily that of a radically wicked neurotic mastermind, but comes in the form of a banal and unimpressive distortion of normalcy. Arendt argues that the banality of evil is standardizing as thoughtlessness into the unthinkable action of human’s terrible deeds in a systematic and methodical way
Unoriginality of Evil The Americans dropped two atomic bombs on Japan’s burgeoning cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in August 1945. The two atom bombs severely decimated the population in the affected cities, but who is to blame? Does blame fall upon the pilots who delivered destruction, or their superiors delivering the order? The claim of responsibility is not easy to make. To convey the convoluted concept “Banality of Evil” was introduced. In 1963 Hannah Arendt came up with this phrase in her
(Arendt 1945 quote taken from Kohn 1994). The aim of this essay is to address the theory of “radical evil” and to establish how it has been incorporated into Hannah Arendt’s thesis the “Banality of evil”. This will be done by first addressing Immanuel Kant’s main concept of evil been “radical” and concluding what he meant by this. Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem: A report on the Banality of Evil (1963) will then be analyzed to explore how Kant’s main propositions have influenced and to some extent
Evil is mesmerizing. As a culture, we are fascinated not with the best of ourselves, but with the worst. Books about serial killers, real and imaginary sell in huge numbers. Movies are populated with villains so twisted and brilliant that only other brilliant psychopaths can catch them. The airwaves are flooded with documentaries and, even, entire networks covering nothing but crime and punishment. On those occasions when a real, flesh-and-blood monster is captured amongst us, each new piece
Hannah Arendt discovered a concept known as “The banality of Evil” during the time of the Holocaust, she wanted to understand the nature of evil and explain how it can be different from the concept of radical evil. Her theory arose from the actions led by a man whose job was to organize the transportation of Jews to concentration camps in various cities. Adolf Eichman was a typical Bureaucrat. Arendt described him as an average joe whose sole purpose was to be successful and follow the orders lead
In fact, the “radical evil” is a thought that Arendt borrows from Kant. According to UCSD professor Henry E. Allison’s “Idealism and Freedom”, Kant is the first person who uses this concept in his work “Religion within the Bounds of Bare Reason”. Kant believes that human’s inclination will seduce them to do evil. When people do not abide by the moral law, but follow their own preferences to behave, it is human’s “radical evil”. The “evil” is called “radical” which does not indicate a specific or
The Corruption of the Ordain Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil is a book about the Eichmann trials, written in Hannah Arendt's perspective. Hannah Arendt was a German-American political theorist, who was often labeled as a philosopher. During the trials she offered herself as a reporter for The New Yorker magazine. Arendt was a Jew, and an early refugee from Germany, making her uniquely qualified to cover the trial, but conversely created controversy among the Jewish community
they allow the protectors of a city carry weapons to intimidate wrongdoers. This can either be a great way to keep peace if the guardians seek peace, however, Hannah Arendt’s ideology of the banality of evil surely applies to a few guardians. Not everyone in a clean-cut uniform is a good guy. (Banality Of Evil Lecture). This responsibility has proven to be too much for some people to handle and the result is death of innocent people all based off of racial
How far would you go to be obedient? At Yale University, Stanley Milgram set up an experiment testing how much pain a person would cause to an ordinary citizen, only with the reason of being told to do so by an experimental scientist. The subject is told that they are helping with an experiment on punishment-based learning and believe they are conducting this test on someone other than themself. What the subjects do not know is that the true experiment is testing them, not another person. The subjects
In the book Eichmann Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt, we are shown a man that is seemingly normal and a common type of man. As the the trial goes on, we begin to see deep inside the mind of this banal, monstrous man. Evil does not always have a “look”, sometimes evil is found in the most ordinary of men with a cliche lifestyle and a stamp of approval from half-a-dozen psychiatrists. Eichmann was a simple man that thought of himself as always being the law-abiding citizen. Eichmann stated in court that
In this article two experiments were mentioned; the Milgram's Experiment and the Stanford Experiment supporting that “people conform passively and unthinkingly to both the instructions and the roles that authorities provide, however malevolent these may be”. However, recently, the consensus of the two experiments had been challenged by the work of social identity theorizing. The Stanford Prison Experiment was conducted in 1971 by Zimbardo. This experiment included a group of students who were “randomly
allowing the treatment of the child. “The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist; a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.” Her diction shows us that she feels indignant to the behaviour of the citizens. Towards the end of the story the author is hopeful when she talks about how the people that
American Psycho and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, although written 105 years apart, convey a protagonist that ostensibly appears benign, yet internally both are morally degenerate characters. Whilst in ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ Stevenson presents a morality tale in which Hyde is an escape from society for Dr Jekyll. Easton-Ellis in his post-modern novel ‘American Psycho’ instead, portrays the superficial tendency of society through the protagonist Patrick Bateman. In an interview with the New York Times in
Philosopher Hannah Arendt is well known for her work on totalitarianism and Jewish affairs of World War II. One of her career highlights presents, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, covering events leading to the trial of Adolf Eichmann. The purpose of her work gives the audience the opportunity to analyze Eichmann’s role in the massacre of many individuals, but primarily the report focuses on all who contributed in the death of Jewish citizens. Throughout her report, she notates
turned evil, earning him the name of Satan. Lucifer was condemned to Hell because he refused to repent his sins. (Mark the Beast) In his book The Lucifer Effect, Phillip Zimbardo explains how good people are capable of doing evil by five psychological processes. Hannah Arendt’s statement of the “banality of evil” concurs with Zimbardo’s philosophical ideas. Even perfect angels can turn into the epitome of evil. “What happens when you put good people in an evil place? Does humanity win over evil, or
Stanford Prison experiment, defines the role of the bystander and the evil associated with this specific figure. He examines upon this notion in Chapter 13, when he states, “In situations where evil is practiced, there are perpetrators, victims, and survivors. However, there are often observers of the ongoing activities or people who know what is going on and do not intervene to help or to challenge the evil and thereby enable evil to persist by their inaction” (Zimbardo). In accordance to his view
“Evil rarely comes in the form of monsters, but in the form of relatively normal people who, for reasons of careers, ideology, or a desire for society’s approval, are indifferent to human consequences of their actions.”- (Hannah Arendt wrote of “The banality of evil”) The book “To Kill a Mocking Bird” tells the story of how black men in the 1930s weren’t treated fairly or just. It’s about a black man that is accused of raping a white girl and even though there were so many facts they still found