A conference at yale university honoring the influential writer and political philosopher hannah arendt will take place september 29 and 30 at the whitney humanities center, 53 wall st titled hannah arendt at one hundred. Incalculable amounts of intellectual and emotional energy have been spent by scholars from a myriad of disciplines in an ongoing attempt to understand how individuals could ever bring themselves to commit the crimes of the holocaust. Banality of evil new york, 1963 and the controversy following it may also have. In it, she states that the trial of this nazi illustrates the banality of evil. Blog entry, hannah arendt center for politics and the humanities november 7, 2011. A report on the banality of evil, her controversial analysis of the jerusalem trial of adolf eichmann, had just been published in german in the federal republic and gaus used the occasion to generate a portrait of hannah arendt. Patchen markell born august 30, 1969 is an associate professor of political science at cornell. Along with gita serenys interviews with stangle and speer, they demonstrate the true horror of the third reich. Hannah arendt, unfortunately, doesnt do its title character justice. On the 100th anniversary of arendts birth, elisabeth young. For many critics, it is impossible to reconcile the deeds of nazi operative adolph eichmann with.
Hannah arendt revisits fiery debate over germanamerican theorists coverage of eichmann trial duration. Covering the trial arendt coined the phrase the banality of evil, a phrase that has since become something of an intellectual cliche. About thoughtlessness however, it is clear from arendts report of eichmann that he had knowledge, and that he was able to. The young hannah arendt had written her doctoral dissertation under the great german philosopher karl jaspers, and the topic of her work was the concept of love in the writings of st. A report on the banality of evil provides insight into one of the most publicized show trials ever.
Instead, her attention to the ubiquity of evil forces readers to confront their own capacity for evil and trains them to recognize flickers of it in others, before its too late. We were asked to post this response unedited by patchen markell, who does not have. This horror is not the inherent evil of hitler or himmler or the sadistic camp guards. Misreading eichmann in jerusalem the new york times. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This was the revolutionary and, like every revolutionary idea, at the time controversial point that hannah arendt october 14, 1906december 4, 1975 made in 1962, when the new yorker commissioned her, a jew of who had narrowly escaped from nazi germany herself, to travel to jerusalem and report on the trial of adolf eichmann one of the. Arendts study of adolf eichmann at his trialeichmann in jerusalem 1963part of which appeared originally in the new yorker, was a painfully searching investigation into what made the nazi persecutor tick. Simpson double homicide trial there was the eichmann trial. I have been asked to address the question is evil banal. Hannah arendt on the banality of evil 1769 words bartleby. The banality of evil thesis is the notion that ordinary people commit barbaric acts without realisation of what they are doing. One of the most significant intellectual breakthroughs of augustines life was the insight that evil is not something substantial, but rather a type. Conference at yale honors hannah arendt at 100 yalenews.
Arendt, hannah internet encyclopedia of philosophy. If hannah arendt 190675 leaves no other intellectual legacy, her notion of the banality of evil seems certain to ensure her a place in the history of western thought. With thomas wild and ursula ludz, i am one of the coeditors of the volume devoted to arendt s the human condition and vita activa in a new bilingual. To arendts mind, eichmann willingly did his part to organize the holocaust and an instrumental part it was out of neither anti. A report on the banality of evil ebook written by hannah arendt. I am going to be confrontational because i think that this question is badly formulated. The trial of hannah arendt national endowment for the. She flew away to france in 1933, when adolf hitler. Philosopher hannah arendt spent her life examining the totalitarian states of the 20th century, coining the phrase banality of evil. Hannah arendt on civil disobedience and constitutional patriotism verity smith promising and civil disobedience.
Hannah arendt famously propagated the banality of evil. Patchen markell department of government cornell arts. Crises of our republics, the conference gathers international scholars and writers to commemorate the centenary of. Bergen, the questions that preoccupied arendt were the meaning and significance of the nazi genocide to our modern. Although hannah arendt is often described as a radical thinker, this. Hannah arendt is a german jewish philosopher, born in 1906 and died in 1975. Instead of giving small gestures and daily labors grand scope, the film. Eichmann was a nazi ss officer charged with the deportation of jews to concentration camps of. Hannah arendts original articles on the banality of evil. Gershom scholem, a fellow philosopher and theologian, wrote to arendt in 1963 that her banalityofevil thesis was merely a slogan that does not impress me, certainly, as the product of profound analysis. Many theorists treat democracy as one type of regime. A report on the banality of evil, she formulated a disturbing imageoriginal in its thesis, modern in its implications, bold in its definition of criminality. Having spent five years delving into the writings of the political thinker hannah arendt, while researching my 2015 documentary vita activa. Hannah arendt 19061975 hannah arendt is a twentieth century political philosopher whose writings do not easily come together into a systematic philosophy that expounds and expands upon a single argument over a sequence of works.
She studied philosophy with martin heidegger as professor. The philosophy of hannah arendt, 20142015 prospectus. A report on the banality of evil, her book on the trial of nazi lieutenantcolonel adolf eichmann. The book was a report, as well as a piece of political commentary, on the trial of adolf eichmann. What did hannah arendt really mean by the banality of evil. Arendt s notion of the banality of evil encapsulates ideology and obedience alike, alongside a large range of patterns of behavior, propaganda, cliches, stereotypes, automatic psychological feelings such as selfvictimization and everything that facilitates the normalization of evil. The spirit of hannah arendt, i take the liberty of stating that israeli sociologist eva illouz, in her article rethinking the banality of evil theory haaretz, august 5, displays an unfortunate miscomprehension of that fraught term. Which hannah arendt tried to put in one phrase is the picture of a man who is a normal family man and an acurate worker. The movie hannah arendt, which opened in new york in may, has unleashed emotional commentary that mirrors the fierce debate arendt herself ignited over half a century ago, when she covered the trial of the notorious war criminal adolf eichmann. Arendts lesson on the banality of evil is not undertaken to make us less mournful for the deaths of the holocaust, or less convicted to never let it happen again.
A revised and enlarged edition was published in 1964. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading eichmann in jerusalem. The result, i have to say, was a pretty banal discussion, for jongens own. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the banality of evil. Banality definition is something that lacks originality, freshness, or novelty. Many have delighted in judging hannah arendt, maybe because they have. The core course readings, all drawn from primary texts and journal articles by hannah arendt, include key excerpts from.
This highly original book is the first to explore the political and philosophical consequences of hannah arendts concept of the banality of evil, a term she used to describe adolph eichmann, architect of the nazi final solution. Whitfield brandeis university two decades ago israeli agents captured adolf eichmann in argentina. This year is the new yorker s eightyfifth anniversary. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read eichmann in jerusalem. Are we still morally culpable if our entire society is corrupt. When eichmann was taken captive in argentina by agents of the israeli government and brought to trial in jerusalem, arendt saw an opportunity, unusual for philosophers, to confront the realm of human affairs and human deeds. Hannah arendt and the glorification of thinking the. Hannah arendt on the normalization of human wickedness and our only effective antidote to it under conditions of terror most people will comply but some people will not no more is required, and no more can reasonably be asked, for this planet to remain a place fit for human habitation. Instead, her thoughts span totalitarianism, revolution, the nature of freedom and the faculties of thought and. A report on the banality of evil by hannah arendt is one of the most disturbing books that i have read in a long while. To celebrate, over eightyfive weekdays we will turn a spotlight on a notable article, story, or poem from the magazines history.
Hannah arendt famously spoke of the banality of evil. A report on the banality of evil and was prompted at last to do so when i found the book on sale at my local library. The idea, emblazoned in the subtitle of her controversial 1963 book, eichmann in jerusalem, impressed many people as a fundamental insight into a new and distinctly modern. I am currently finishing a book on hannah arendts political thought called politics against rule.
One of the preeminent political thinkers of the 20th century, arendt, who died in 1975 at the age of 69, was a. A reinterpretation of her political thought by margaret. The hannah arendt papers the library of congress manuscript division. The holocaust in hannah arendts eichmann in jerusalem.
Patchen markell has argued that arendt also throws into question certain boundaries of. A report on the banality of evil is a 1963 book by political theorist hannah arendt. Arendt, a jew who fled germany during adolf hitlers rise to power, reported on adolf eichmanns trial for the new yorker. Yale professor seyla benhabib responded in a new york times piece, others blogged, and wolin responded in an essay on our website. The house of justice beth hamishpath the house of justice. Hannah arendt and the final solution kindle edition by bergen, bernard j download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A report on the banality of evil kindle edition by arendt, hannah, amos elon.
Banality of evil 1963 caused huge controversy on its release. His trial opened in jerusalem in april, 1961, lasted fourteen weeks and resulted in his conviction for crimes against the jewish people, crimes against humanity, war crimes and membership in crimi. He is currently working on the first booklength study of arendts the human condition. Hannah arendt most memorably employed it in both the subtitle and closing words of eichmann in jerusalem. After the nuremberg trial hundreds of nazis were still in hiding or had taken assumed identities outside of europe. Banality of evil is a phrase coined by hannah arendt in the title of her 1963 work eichmann in jerusalem. In her treatise on the banality of evil, arendt demanded a rethink of established ideas about moral responsibility mon 29 aug 2011 07.
The experience of action patchen markell dissent in dark times. This article presents a novel critical account of a key concept in democratic theory, rule, via an unorthodox interpretation of hannah arendts work. Hannah arendt 190675 was a german jew who moved to the united states during wwii, becoming a naturalised citizen in 1950. I had long wanted to read hannah arendts 1906 1975 study of the eichmann trial, eichmann in jerusalem. A book would be required to report how the banality of evil has become banal over the decades since hannah arendt published her controversial eichmann in jerusalem 1963. Fifty years ago the writer and philosopher hannah arendt witnessed the end of the trial of adolf eichmann, one of the major figures in the organisation of the holocaust. Nor, on reflection, do i think that the facts of hannah arendts personal history. She reported on eichmanns trial for the new yorker magazine, and her investigations yielded so much that they eventually led to an entire book, eichmann in jerusalem. Arendt dubbed these collective characteristics of eichmann the banality of evil. That this can be true and eichmann had a very personal interest in the genocide of the jewish people was most recently demonstrated by a very elaborated biography which focuses mainly on this point.
1167 16 982 1381 727 1577 1486 1399 476 1586 537 1029 107 1065 5 1160 800 324 387 458 788 162 556 624 847 658 315 1145 1271 785 769 1305 1595 1519 1340 98 502 186 773 406 589 830 131 887