Ordinary Perpetrators and the Banality of Evil

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2017-07-20

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en

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Arendt’s idea of the banality of evil is commonly interpreted as highlighting the ordinariness of perpetrators like Adolf Eichmann. In recent decades, the ‘ordinary perpetrator’ has become a prominent topic of historical and psychological research. This article discusses Arendt’s work on the banality of evil in light of this research and asks: to what extent are the banality of evil and the ordinary perpetrator synonymous? I argue that it is short-sighted to equate the two. While Arendt emphasises the ordinariness of perpetrators like Eichmann, her critique of moral philosophy is the most thought-provoking element in her analysis. Arendt focuses not on ordinariness but on the thoughtlessness and inability to judge which allowed ordinary perpetrators to do extraordinary evil.

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Faculteit der Filosofie, Theologie en Religiewetenschappen