Ordinary Perpetrators and the Banality of Evil

Abstract

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.